Somewhatnatural- A Destiel fan fic
by 200to200
Summary: As Sam's life is moving forward, its time for Dean's to do the same. Dean moves away and will be completely on his own for the first time with only himself to worry about. As he locks eyes with a handsome blue eyed stranger on moving day, he wonders why it effects him so much. Dean is going on a journey of self discovery, and hes secretly hoping maybe Blue Eyes can help him out wit
1. Chapter 1

Dean pulled into one of the available parking spots in front of his new apartment building. He had finally found a place that was going to be good for him. He was daring to hope it would be anyways. "We're here Baby." He said to the impala, rubbing his hands along her steering wheel. He stepped out of the car and into the morning sunshine of Sioux Falls. As he breathed in deeply he tasted the fresh air. He let his breath out in a sigh and leaned up against the driver's side door. She was warm after the long drive from Lawrence. Her black paint would be hot to the touch by noon, but for now the warmth was comforting. Dean reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a small set of keys. Only 4 on the small silver ring. He played with them nervously in his hand while he watched the entrance to the parking lot. "C'mon Sammy" he muttered to himself.

Sam's white truck came around the corner, towing behind it a small U-Haul trailer. "Finally" Dean said as he pushed himself away from the impala, putting the keys back into his pocket. He could see through the windshield of the truck that Sam and Jess hadn't spotted him yet. They both had sunglasses on and were moving at a crawl, when suddenly Jess pointed towards Dean and waved. That made Dean smile. He loved his sister in law, even if she was the one who finally took Sammy from him. The truck stopped along the curb in front of the entrance to the apartments, creating its own temporary parking. Sam hopped out of the truck and waved to his brother walking towards them. "Nice place!" Sam called to Dean. Sam crossed in front of the truck to help a very pregnant Jess down from the high cab. Dean approached them, "Yeah, it's not a bad place. A little on the new side. Definitely not what I'm used to." Sam looked to Dean and said, "Well it's not a motel room, so yeah I would agree."

Dean and Sam had spent most of their lives on the road travelling with their dad. John Winchester had been a salesman, and a damn good one at that. It wasn't his fault the economy was shit. John would find side work on the road fixing up peoples cars for the extra cash. They traveled from place to place, staying in small cheap motels. They had been "home schooled" by John, which never enabled them to make a lot of friends growing up. As a result Dean and Sam were brothers and best friends. John was always out on house calls, and when he was back at the motel he tended to enjoy a drink, or 10 as the case usually was. John hadn't been a bad father, but he wasn't an attentive one. He worked a lot and took more jobs than the boys would have liked. Sam and Dean's mother passed away not long after Sam was born. John didn't handle it well, and the boys paid the price. Dean was in charge of Sammy and took care of him for as long as he could remember.

Now here they were, Sam beside his beautiful pregnant wife. Sam didn't need Dean to take care of him anymore, and Dean was finally accepting that. It was time for Dean to build his own life the way Sammy had. Dean couldn't see himself with the wife and children. He couldn't put his finger quite on why, but it just didn't feel right to him. Without that clear, cookie cutter path to follow, Dean wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with himself.

John Winchester had passed away 3 years ago now. It was a cancer in his stomach that got him. Sam had been away finishing his law degree at Stanford. Dean stayed with his dad at the old house until the end. The boys had been surprised to learn that John hadn't sold their home in Lawrence after their mom died. They lived on the road all their lives, when they had a home of their own the whole time. Dean wanted to be angry with John, partly for taking away their childhood, but mostly for making Sammy go through all of that when he didn't have to. When John got sick, Dean had to stow away his anger and be there for his dad. Care giver was a role Dean was comfortable in. Being in charge. Taking on responsibility for others. The idea of being on his own, with only himself to worry about terrified him.

When John passed away he left the house and everything he had saved to his boys. Sammy brought Jess home to Lawrence with him and they moved into the old house with Dean. Dean loved having Sam home again, and Jess was a great girl. Sam found a job at a small law firm in town, and Dean worked in an automotive shop. Dean would have been happy for things to stay that way forever. Once Sam put that ring on Jess' finger though, he knew it was the beginning of the end.

Sam offered to sell the house, they would split the money down the middle between the two of them. Dean wouldn't have any of that. He told them he had more than enough saved to go out on his own. He argued that the house was too perfect for raising a family in to sell. Some Winchesters deserved to grow up there after all.

After months of searching Dean found his new apartment. All the way out in Sioux Falls of course, but that meant he could be close to their Uncle Bobby. Bobby had a job lined up for him making more than double what he was making back home in Lawrence. The change of scenery would be good for him he told himself. Now, standing in front of his new home, he wasn't so sure.

Sammy walked around to the small U-Haul trailer and unlocked the padlock keeping it closed. "Well, let's get started" Sam said as he clapped his hands together. Sam grabbed a box and Dean followed his lead. Jess went to grab a small box too, but Dean stopped her. "Not you little lady" he said to her, "You are strictly on house decorating duty. Capeesh?". Jess raised an eyebrow to her brother in law, slowly reaching her hand into the trailer and picking up a small decorative lamp. Dean laughed. "OK, I can live with that. Let's go."  
They walked towards the buildings main doors. Just as they got there and Dean was trying to balance his box against the wall while reaching back into his jeans for the keys, the door opened for them. Without looking up Dean grunted out a thank you to the stranger holding the door.

"You're welcome." Came a deep gravelly voice that surprised Dean into looking up and investigating who it belonged to. Next thing Dean knew he was lost in a sea of blue eyes. Time may have stopped, or maybe it was his heart. Dean opened his mouth, and closed it again. The man standing in front of him was a bit shorter than he was. A mess of dark hair that Dean knew from experience didn't just fall that way, it took work. The man was staring back at Dean intensely. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either. Just standing their quietly looking at Dean with giant, too blue eyes, and a perfect jaw line, my god.

Things began to feel awkward, so Sam stepped forward with his box in hand and walked past the man holding the door. Giving him a smile and nod, Sam gave his thanks as well and continued into the building. Jess followed behind him. That just left Dean and his perfect stranger. "Are you moving in? I do have to go. I'm sorry." The man said to Dean.  
Dean shook his head briefly and said, "Yeah, yeah, sorry. Um, thanks again." He tried for a smile but knew it was weak. He was concentrating so hard on not blushing. He walked through the open door. The stranger smiled at him then. It was a big smile, all gums and teeth, and Dean could feel his blush creeping up his neck. "Any time. Will I be seeing you around?" the strange, beautiful man asked Dean. "I'll be here" was all Dean could manage before turning to walk away.

When he had almost joined Sam and Jess at the elevator he suddenly thought to turn around and ask for Blue Eyes name. The door was already closed, and the man no where he could see. "Son of a bitch." Dean muttered to himself before meeting the other two at the elevator.

"What was that?" Sam asked Dean, a knowing smile behind his words. "Shut up Sam." Dean shot at his brother, which only made Sam's smile widen. "Jerk." Sam said. "Bitch." Dean replied, and despite himself smiled at his giant little brother.


	2. Chapter 2

They approached the door to Dean's third floor apartment. Dean pushed past Sam and Jess to get at the lock. He set his box down and grabbed the keys from his pocket. "Home sweet Home." Dean said to the other two, his best attempt at a genuine smile spreading across his face. "Ok let's see, which one is it." Dean fumbled with the keys. "Nope. How about … nope." As he tried the third key the doors lock clicked. Dean let out a breath and turned to Sam and Jess. "Are you guys ready for this?" he asked them. Jess laughed, "Just open the door already Dean!" He grinned at her, "I just want to make sure you guys are ready. Yeash. Impatient." And he opened the door.

They walked into the place and Sam stopped feet from the door. "Wow Dean. Wow." Sam said to his brother, obviously in awe of the space. "See, he wasn't ready." Dean said to Jess, and she stuck her tongue out at him. Dean looked around the empty apartment. He wasn't sure he was ready either. "You weren't kidding when you said it was new. You must be the first person to live here." Sam continued. "Second." Dean responded, "The building is still pretty new."

"I have the boxes labelled." Dean told Sam. "Mine says 'Kitchen stuff'." Sam laughed as he walked to put his box down near the kitchen. "Ok, pretty much labelled." Dean said with an eye roll. "Tour! Tour! Tour!" Jess chanted from behind them.

Dean took them on a small tour of the apartment. It was good for him too since he had only seen pictures of the place online before now. "Well, you have both already seen the front door." and Dean gestured towards the door. "And we are standing in the dining room. Sam is in the kitchen." He walked forward about ten steps. "And this is the living room." Dean said with a grand arm wave around the space. Sam and Jess both responded to Deans statements with exaggerated 'Ooooh's" and 'Ahhhhh's".

Dean looked around while the other two explored the main space of the apartment. Jess opening and closing cupboards and drawers in the kitchen. Sam just wandering around looking. The walls were a bit higher than average, probably 9" if he had to guess. The floors were new, large white tiles in the kitchen and dining room, and a dark rustic looking hardwood in the living room. The kitchen had new stainless appliances and white cupboards that went to the roof. Some of the panels were glass, where he guessed he was supposed to put things he wanted to show off. He glanced towards the 'kitchen stuff' box and was reminded he was going to have to buy something 'show off' worthy.

Dean was suddenly overwhelmed with the extravagance of the place. It wasn't a huge apartment by any means, but it was more than he needed. More than he ever had. He remembered looking online at apartment after apartment. There were lots that met his needs, but this one called to him. It was a symbol of what he could have, and hadn't known he wanted. He sent off the email to the property manager before he even stopped to think about it. This was one of the first things Dean had ever done for himself, and right now he wasn't sure if he felt proud or ashamed.

Dean walked through the living room to the back wall to continue his tour. There was a sliding glass door behind some slatted window coverings. He found the little pulley to open them. While he pulled them back he said, "This is the deck!" he unlocked and opened the sliding glass door. It was a fair sized space, all three of them fit on it nicely. The view was pretty good when you got passed the construction happening in the distance. Sam stepped beside Dean at the railing. "Sioux Falls is really growing these days." Sam stated. Dean grunted. "It must be, with what Bobby is saying he can pay me at the shop, there must be a lot more cars rolling through here." Sam gave his brother a firm pat on the back. "Let's see the rest of the place." Sam said as he turned to go back inside with Jess.

Dean stayed outside a moment longer. He was scanning the parking lot, hoping to get a glimpse of the stranger who held the door open for them. He didn't expect to see him, it had to have been almost 20 minutes since they came upstairs. He looked none the less. He was disappointed, but had a sinking feeling he would be spending more time out here watching than he was willing to openly admit.

After one last quick scan of the lot, Dean turned back and walked through the sliding door. "Guys?" He called out. "In here!" he heard Sam's voice call back from one of the rooms. Dean walked through the door of the master bedroom to see them both inside. "Dean! Your closet!" Jess half squealed. There was a decently sized walk though closet that lead to a full bathroom at the end. "I think all 10 of my shirts should fit in here" Dean said as he joined her in the closet. Jess punched his arm, "We need to go shopping Dean. You need furniture, and I am dying to dress you up." Dean did an exaggerated eye roll for her. She was right though, he didn't have any furniture short of his old mattress and a couple of small tables.  
"Ok you two, out of the closet." Sam said, "Especially you Dean."

Dean shot his brother a death glare. "What?!"

"We need you to finish the tour, calm down." Sam quickly added.

Dean pushed past Sam and Jess and gruffly said, "Yeah, c'mon then, it's almost done." as he left the room. Jess turned to Sam and gave her husband a quick backhand to his chest. "Sam, be nice." She said in a hushed voice. Sam simply gave her a smile and kissed her on the head before they left the room together.

They turned to see Dean at the other end of the room. The master bedroom was on one side, the living room in between, and then a second room and the main bathroom beside it. "This is the bathroom." Dean waved his hand towards the open door. "And this is the spare bedroom." He said, reaching out and opening the closed door. He walked inside the much smaller room and Sam and Jess followed. "Two bedrooms?" Sam asked Dean curiously. "Of course two bedrooms." Dean responded as though it was the dumbest question he had ever heard. "I'll need somewhere for my future niece or nephew to sleep when they come to hang out with their favorite uncle!" He turned to face the wall. "I am thinking a big Led Zeppelin poster here." He used both hands to indicate where he meant. "And Def Leppard over there." He turned and pointed to the opposite wall. "I'll make sure you appreciate the classics" Dean said directly to Jess's belly.

Jess smiled up at Sam. She looked to Dean, "She will love it here." A huge smile spread across her face as she watched Dean process the news.  
"SHE!" Dean exclaimed, his smile mirroring Jess's. He quickly dropped to one knee in front of Jess and looked seriously at her belly. "Ok, listen to me. The Pretenders, Heart, The Blackhearts." He waved a hand in front of himself. "You know what, we'll go over all this again when you're here." He stood up and hugged Sammy and Jess.

"We better get back to the U-Haul" Sam told Dean. "Oh yeah, we never closed it. People are probably walking away with my stuff." Sam laughed at Dean. "It's Sioux Falls dude, your stuff is fine."

As they left the room Sam heard Dean say, "She" under his breath. Sam grabbed his wife's hand and they all left the apartment together.


	3. Chapter 3

It didn't take them long to unload the U-Haul and grab the few possessions Dean had in the bed of Sam's truck. Once they had moved the mattress into the bedroom Jess went to lay down while the boys finished up. "Your labeling needs some serious work Dean. This one just says 'crap'".

"Can it Sammy. Just put it with the other crap boxes." Dean pointed towards four boxes piled together in the living room. Sam walked over and saw the word 'crap' written in Dean's scratchy, all capital letter handwriting on each of the boxes.

It was past noon now Dean noticed, with some help from his stomach. "Waddaya say we head out and grab some grub and a few brews?" Dean asked his brother. "Sounds good to me." Sam answered him. "Just let me check on Jess and we can head out."

Dean grabbed his keys off the counter and stuck them in his pocket. He looked towards the bedroom door as he heard Sam quietly leaving the room. "She's out. Let's go." Sammy said as he grabbed his keys from the counter as well.

"What do you need those for?" Dean asked. "For my truck?" Sam said, an eyebrow raised to Dean. "No, man. I'm driving." Dean replied adamantly. Sam sighed. "Dean, I really don't want to sweat to death today. We need to drop the trailer off anyways so I can actually park in the lot." Dean considered his brothers points and conceded.

As Dean climbed into the passenger side of the truck he grumbled at Sam. "What do you need such a big truck for? Aren't you a lawyer?"  
Sam smiled and sighed as he closed his door. "I don't remember you complaining when you needed a hand moving out here. Besides, I like it. It's good for when I help Jess's Dad with his landscaping."

Sam started up the truck. He turned to Dean, "Seat belt."

Dean exaggerated his displeasure as he buckled up. He hated being the passenger. He was the driver. Dean wasn't sure if he would ever get used to 'all grown up' Sammy.  
The radio in the truck was set to a local pop station and Dean instantly reached over to change it. "Hey now" Sam said, "Driver picks the music. That's your rule."  
Dean groaned. Sam reached over and changed it to one of the classic rock stations. AC/DC was playing and Dean smiled at his brother. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" he said as he started to play the air guitar. Sam laughed. "Ok, U-Haul first. I can't wait to not be dragging this thing around behind me."

They turned out of the parking lot onto one of the side streets. It took forever for them to merge in with traffic to get on the main road with the trailer behind them. When they were finally cruising at a good pace down the highway Sam spoke up.

"Hey, isn't the U-Haul place pretty close to Bobby's? Why don't we stop by and let him know we made it?"

Dean frowned and looked down towards his stomach. "But I'm hungry." He whined.

"Bobby and Karen are going to want to know we made it safe Dean. And it's the weekend. Karen probably has a fresh pie made with your name on it." Sam said, knowing how it would work on Dean.

"You know, on second thought, yeah. We should let the old bugger know we made it." Dean said, thinking about how amazing one of Karen's pies would be right now.

The boys dropped the trailer off and headed towards Bobby's. It only took ten minutes to get there. As they came up on the salvage yard they both noticed an increase in the number of cars on the lot since the last time they had been by.

The truck pulled up to the house just as Bobby was coming out from one of the garages. Covered in oil and dirt, he stopped and watched as Sam turned off the truck. "Well ain't you two a sight for sore eyes!" Bobby called as they stepped out of the vehicle. "Hey Bobby!" The boys called back, almost in unison.

"I'd hug ya, but I wouldn't want to mess up your fancy clothes." Bobby said as he eyed the boys in their clean gear. "C'mon inside, Karen's in the kitchen." Bobby looked at Dean as he said it.

"Don't gotta tell me twice." Dean replied as he wrung his hands together and led the way.

As Dean opened the front door he was greeted with the smell of fresh baking. "Yes!" Dean thought to himself as he walked further inside.

Sam and Bobby followed behind him and closed the door. Bobby called out into the house, "Karen Hun! I found a couple of strays in the yard you ought to come have a look at."

Karen came out from the kitchen, eyes down as she wiped flour from her hands. "Oh dear, not again. They really need to get a handle on the animals around here." As she looked up she saw Dean and Sam and her eyes brightened. "Oh Bobby! These are no strays. Come here boys!" She says giddily as she scurried herself quickly towards them.

"Hey Karen." Dean said fondly as he reached down to hug her tiny figure. She looked up at him and put a hand to his cheek. "Hello yourself!" she replied as she moved towards Sam. She had to go on her highest tip toes to hug the giant man.

"You boys are just in time! I have a pie cooling right now. Where is that lovely wife of yours Sam?"

Sam smiled down at Karen. "She sleeping over at Dean's place right now. The drive and heat really took it out of her today."

"Well I bet it did. We haven't had a heat wave like this so early in the season in years. Come now, sit down. I'll get you three something to drink." She looked over to her husband. "And you go clean up Mr. we have company you know." She smiled and turned away to get back to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I know." Bobby said sarcastically once his wife was out of ear shot. "Ok, you boys head that way, I'll be back shortly." He said as he turned to go up the stairs and wash up.

When Bobby entered to the dining room, both boys were sitting at the table with a beer each. Bobby sat himself down at the head of the table, where an unopened bottle was waiting for him. He looked towards Dean, who smiled at him with a dopey grin and said "Pie."

Bobby chuckled. "She knew you were coming boy."

Karen came through the swinging doors between the dining room and the kitchen with two plates in hand. "Now Dean" she started, "I know apple isn't your number one favorite, but I have a freezer full of pecan to send home with you."

Dean couldn't be sure, but he thought his smile was touching his ears. "Karen, I don't have a favorite. Unless your pies is a category. They're all my favorite."

"Well then dig in" She said as she laid the plates in front of them. She left and returned shortly with a plate for Bobby and herself. She sat herself down beside Sam and settled in.

Dean took his first bite and let out a sound of absolute culinary pleasure. "Have I told you you're a pie genius Karen?"

"Yes." She replied. "Every time you're here."

Bobby finished his bite of pie and turned to Sam. "How's that baby of yours coming along?" he asked.

Dean spoke up, half choking on his bite. "They're having a girl!" he told them, bracing himself for their reaction to the ground breaking news.

"Ohhh" Both Bobby and Karen replied halfheartedly. Dean looked around the table. "Wait. Hold on a second. You knew?!" He asked in disbelief.

Sam looked at Dean with a sorry look on his face. "Yeah, they knew. Jess wanted to tell you herself. It was really important to her. Sorry man."

Dean shook his head. "Well, I'm getting a niece, so it's all the same to me." He said as he raised another heaping fork full of pie to his mouth.

Karen beamed at the boys as she sat there, her pie still untouched. "Oh, it's so good to see you boys. I am so excited you're going to be around more Dean. I've missed you two something fierce. Bobby too." She said, as she looked towards her husband.

"Uh, yeah. Fierce." Bobby said as he took another bite of pie.

The four of them visited for a while, and the boys were sad to say they had to get going. Sam promised that he and Jess would stop by before they left to head back home to Lawrence.

Karen loaded Dean's arms with grocery store bags full of home cooking. "There are some meals for you while you get settled." She said hooking bags onto Deans arm. "And this one is all pie. Don't say I never did nothing for you." She said with a wink.

"Thank you." Dean replied, bending down to place a kiss on her cheek.

"I have a bag of baked goods for you guys too Sam." She said seriously. "Don't you dare forget to come say goodbye before you leave."

"We won't." Sam laughed as he walked to the driver's side of his truck.

The boys picked up burgers and beers on their way back to Dean's place. As they entered the apartment, Jess was sleepily exiting the bedroom. "Oh, good. I'm starving." she said.

The three of them devoured their meals. Sam looked at his phone, "We better get ourselves checked into the hotel. We can come and help you unpack tomorrow Dean."

"And Shopping!" Jess added. "You are going to need a table, and some couches." She thought a bit more. "And a bed frame. Also, some chairs. Maybe something for your walls."

Dean cut her off before she could continue listing everything he didn't have. "Ok, ok. Yes, tomorrow we will get me sorted out. Do you really have to go to a hotel though? You guys can take my bed, I'm happy on the floor."

Dean looked hopefully at the other two. He really didn't want to have to spend the night alone.

"Yes we're sure Dean." Sam said. "We already put the deposit down on the room. We won't be far, and we'll be back in the morning."

Dean sighed an ok to them. They cleaned up from their meal and gathered their things. Dean said his goodbyes to Sam and Jess. He added an extra "See ya" for Jess's belly.

He closed the door and locked it as they walked down the hallway towards the elevator. Dean turned around and leaned his back against the front door. As he looked around his empty apartment he felt completely alone. He had managed to distract himself from this feeling for most of the day, but now here it was. Dean was left with his too new apartment, and his over loved possessions, still packed away in boxes. He began to unpack a few of the boxes around the place, but he didn't have any shelves or any surfaces to place things. He was left with open boxes and things set on the floor around them. He moved to the kitchen, he had cupboards there that could hold things. He put all of the food Karen had given him away in the fridge and freezer. When he had finished putting away the contents of three boxes, almost everything he had labeled 'kitchen', he decided to call it a night.

He had a TV, but he didn't have any cable or internet hooked up yet. He reminded himself to call someone tomorrow about that.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and found himself out on his patio. They had moved a single plastic chair out there, so he sat down. He scanned the parking lot again. It wasn't late yet, only 7 in the evening. The sun was only just starting to set. With nothing else to do his mind began to wander.

It took him back to earlier that day. To the stranger with the blue eyes who held the door for them. He had been wearing a dark red hoody over a light blue button down shirt. Dean found himself wondering what his build was like underneath.

Dean tried to shake the thought from his head, but his mind kept taking him back there. "I'm not gay." Dean told himself. "He was a handsome man. It's ok to appreciate a person who takes care of themselves. That doesn't make me gay."

Every time Dean thought about it he felt weaker and weaker.

He scolded himself for thinking too long about his stranger's perfect amount of stubble on his face, and the line of his jaw. "I've slept with loads of girls." He thought to himself. The part of his mind he refused to listen to whispered to him. "Yeah, but you made sure you were good and loaded first didn't you?"

"Shut up." He said aloud.

Dean was getting frustrated. He finished off his beer and stood to get another one. As soon as he stood up, he found himself shooting back down into his chair.

There he was. Walking through the parking lot. He was wearing the same clothes he left in. He must have been at work, Dean guessed. He looked tired. His eyes were cast downwards, and his hands stuffed into his hoody pockets as he walked. Dean was willing to bet if his stranger looked up he would be able to see the blue of his eyes from where he was sitting.

Dean noticed his own hand was gripping the arm rest of the plastic chair. He felt cornered, which he knew was silly. Blue Eyes didn't even know he was out here watching him. The sun had set far enough that the portion of the deck where he sat was covered by an angled shadow.

Dean's eyes followed the man to the front door of the apartment building. Once he heard the door close, Dean let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He looked around himself and scoffed. "Who am I? Dracula?"

With that he stood back up and went inside.

Dean downed another beer as he stood in the kitchen leaning against the counter. He pressed his fist against his eyes and forehead. It had been a long, hot day. He wanted to have a shower, but realized he didn't know where any of his towels were packed away. He didn't like the idea of going to bed all sweaty, but he decided he would dig around for his towels tomorrow morning.

As he entered the bedroom he saw that Jess had pulled out his blanket and pillow and laid them on the bed. "Jess you sweet angel." He thought to himself. He had his small toiletries bag on his bathroom counter and brushed his teeth. He settled for splashing water on his face and drying it with his T-shirt. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. His own green eyes staring back at him, but he had blue eyes on his mind.

He stripped down to his briefs and got into bed. As he laid his head down on his pillow a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He was out cold and snoring in no time.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean woke up early the next morning. He managed to find his towels in a box labelled 'soft stuff'. The box also contained his bed sheets, spare blanket, and extra pillow. After he showered and shaved, he felt good. Really good. It had been awhile since he had a full nights rest.

He started to look through more of the boxes scattered around the rooms. He considered going downstairs around 10, the same time they arrived yesterday. He thought maybe Blue Eyes would be leaving for work again and he could bump into him. He wondered if that was too desperate. What reason would he possibly have for just hanging around the lobby? It's not like he would have any mail being sent to his place yet. Dean could be waiting for Sam and Jess, if Blue Eyes asked him.

Dean finally decided that since it was Saturday he might not be working anyways. Also, not gay, he reminded himself.

As Dean paced around his apartment thinking too hard about things, he heard a knock at the door.

He opened it to see Sam and Jess. "Hey guys." Dean said surprised. "I thought you would have to give me a call to let you in?"

"The guy from yesterday was just leaving again and let us in." Sam told Dean. "That guy has some great timing."

"Dammit" Dean muttered.

"What was that?" Sam asked.

"Nothing." Dean sighed. "So, what's the game plan?" he added before Sam could question him further.

Dean was half listening to Sam as he explained what they should get up to that day. He was fighting the impulse to run out to his deck and catch a glimpse of Blue Eyes as he walked through the lot.

"Dean?" Sam asked. "Earth to Dean. Come in Dean."

"Yeah? What. Sorry. So, what?" Dean responded embarrassed.

"I said we should head in to town and grab the furniture you need while we are here with the truck." Sam repeated.

"Oh yeah, good idea." Dean said smiling at both of them. "Should we go now? Let's go right now."

"Umm, yeah, sure." Sam told Dean as he looked over to his wife, who was smirking up at him.

Dean pulled on his boots and was out the door. "Let's go let's go!" Dean said in a hurry.

As they exited the buildings doors Dean looked around the parking lot. Blue Eyes wasn't there. His heart fell briefly, but he shook it off.

"Someone's got a little extra pep in their step." Jess said to Dean as she walked up beside him and nudged him with her shoulder. "I had a good sleep, finally." Dean replied, hoping that was enough to cover for his behavior.

All three of them walked together through the parking lot until Dean broke off and headed towards the impala. "You aren't coming with us?" Sam asked as himself and Jess continued towards the truck. "Once was enough Sammy. I'll meet you guys in town."

"Suit yourself. We'll see you there." And with that they all got in to their respective vehicles.

After Sam and Jess closed their doors, Jess turned to face her husband. "Why did you lie to your brother?" She asked Sam seriously. It hadn't been the man from yesterday who let them into the building. Today it was a shorter man. He was wearing a suit and spoke with a British accent. "I was just testing a theory." He answered her with a devilish grin. "Well it wasn't very nice Sam. I thought he was going to take a short cut off the deck to get to the parking lot faster." Sam started up the truck and started reversing out of their spot. "I just hope Dean noticed that too." He said simply.

Dean cruised down the highway with the windows rolled down. The wind was whipping around him, and he had to turn the radio up to hear his tunes over it. One thing he could say was nice about Sam's truck was the air conditioning. He wouldn't say that out loud of course, and he wouldn't be caught dead saying it to Sammy.

The three of them met downtown. They hit store after store picking up most of what Dean needed to fill out the apartment. Dean relied on Jess's interior decorating expertise for most of it. The boys hung back together as Jess dealt with the sales men and women, explaining in detail what she envisioned for Deans place.

Between what Dean had managed to save over the years he lived with Sam and Jess, and the surprisingly large amount his dad had left to him in the form of savings, Dean wasn't especially worried about the cost. It helped that Jess was an excellent thrift shopper and incredibly skilled at scoring good deals.

Once the bed of the truck was holding as much as it was going to, Jess turned to Dean. "Ok!" She started. "Now can we pleeeease dress you up a little?"

Dean let out an exasperated sigh. "What's wrong with my clothes?" He asked her looking down at himself.

"Oh nothing. It's not that I don't love the whole black t-shirt and jeans thing you have going on. Every. Single. Day." She shot Dean a look he couldn't translate into anything he understood. "What if you meet someone?" Jess continued. "I just want to spruce you up a bit! And I did do all the work furnishing your place." She tried.

Dean looked at Jess, "I also did all the paying." He reminded her. Jess gave him her best pouty face, and Dean caved. "Fine. Let's just get this over with so we can get back." Dean rolled his eyes at her.

Jess clapped her hands giddily. "We just so happen to be in front of a decent store!" She told the boys pointing behind where Dean was standing. Dean turned and entered the shop. Before Sam and Jess could join Dean inside, Sam leaned down and whispered into his wife's ear. "Now who's scheming to get her way?" Jess laughed and punched Sam lightly on the arm before she turned to go join Dean.

They left half an hour later, Dean carrying more bags than he thought he had ever left a clothing store with. Jess had a huge smile spread across her face. "That was fun Ken!" She said to Dean. "I'm not a Ken doll." Dean repeated for the umpteenth time with a scowl on his face. He turned to Sam. "Next time we leave her at home." He said pointing a finger at Jess.

Jess stuck her tongue out at Dean as she walked up to the passenger side of the truck. Dean softened and told them he would meet them back at the apartment.

Dean put his armful of shopping bags in the back seat of the impala. As he sat himself in the driver's seat he glanced back at his purchases. He did look awesome in those clothes.

When they got back to the apartment, Dean took all his new clothes up first and threw the bags in his closet. He would sort that out later. Dean and Sam got to work unloading the truck while Jess planned where everything was going to go.

From the patio of a top floor apartment, 5 units over from Deans, Castiel was watching the boys unloading the truck. He was hanging back a little bit in an attempt to stay hidden. He walked into his place and shook his arms out at his sides. "Do I go down?" he asked himself. He thought he was getting some good vibes from his new neighbor yesterday. It wouldn't be the first time he completely misread a situation though. Far from it actually. Sometimes, he found, people just thought he was strange and were unsure how to act around him. Socializing had never been Castiel's strength. He paced around the apartment for a bit longer, trying to convince himself to go down and offer to help.

He turned to face the large bird cage in the corner that housed his pet parrot, Meg. She was probably part of what made people think he was odd, Castiel considered. He loved her though so he didn't let it bother him. She was so unique. Instead of bright colors, she was all black with red markings on her face. "What do you think Meg? Do I go?"

"Go!" the parrot repeated back to him.

Castiel nodded seriously to her. He turned and walked confidently towards the door. He stopped suddenly and ran to the bathroom. He checked himself out in the mirror, fixing a few stray hairs. He checked his nose and eyes for anything weird. When he decided he was happy he let out a quick huff. "You can do this." He told his reflection. With that he left the apartment, hoping he looked more confident than he felt.


	5. Chapter 5

Castiel stepped outside into the sunshine. Dean was currently picking up a large packaged mirror from the bed of the truck. Cas walked over, his neighbor hadn't noticed him yet. Cas cleared his throat and asked, "Do you need a hand?"

Dean was startled when he heard the familiar voice. He nearly dropped the mirror as his body stiffened. He felt himself break out into a cold sweat and his stomach clamped up. "Holy crap man." Dean said as he turned to face Blue Eyes. "You snuck up on me."

"Sorry." Cas said sincerely. "I noticed you had a lot to move and thought I might offer to help."

Dean set the mirror down and leaned it against the side of the truck. He ran his hand awkwardly through his hair. "It's ok if you don't want me to." Cas continued.

"No, no that would be awesome." Dean said as he smiled at Blue Eyes. Cas relaxed a little.

"I'm Dean. Winchester." He said to Cas as he held out his hand.

"Hello Dean." Cas smiled. "I'm Castiel Novak." And he reached out to grab Dean's hand.

Dean felt the touch all the way up his arm. It lingered there long after they had released their grips on each other.

"Castiel?" Dean asked with an eyebrow raised. "That's weird."

Dean regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. "That's weird?" Really Dean? He scolded himself internally.

Castiel laughed at the comment. "You are not the first person to tell me that. You can call me Cas if you prefer."

Dean felt a little bit better, but his mouth continued on without his permission. "I mean, it's not weird. It's different. I haven't heard it before."  
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Dean's brain screamed at him.

"No, it's weird." Cas said with good humor. "My parents named me after the Angel of Thursday. Not one of the better known angels."

"Thursday? Days have angels?" Dean asked.

"Well, they said it also means 'Shield of God', but the Thursday thing always kind of stuck with me." Cas explained.

"Oh." Was all Dean could think to add.

Sam was walking over to meet up with Dean when he noticed they had company.

"Oh thank God." Dean thought as he saw his brother. Someone was here to save him from saying anything else stupid in front of Cas.

"Hey Sammy." Dean called to his brother. "This is Castiel."

Cas turned to meet Sam, once again holding out his hand. "Cas is fine." He said to Sam.

"Nice to meet you Cas. I'm Dean's brother Sam" He reached out and shook Cas's hand.

His brother. Good. Cas was secretly relieved this giant, also very handsome, man was most likely the one with the pregnant woman from yesterday. He decided to risk it and ask anyways.

"There were three of you yesterday?" Cas questioned the brothers.

"Yeah, that's Sammy's wife Jess. She's upstairs playing house with my stuff." Dean told him. He was glad to have that piece of information out of the way. "Let's get moving and you can meet her."

Dean picked the mirror back up. Cas went around to the truck bed and grabbed the first thing he saw, which was a medium sized box. The printing on the side said 'Shelving unit, black, box 1/3.'

Cas followed Dean through the door that was propped open by a large rock. He couldn't help but look at Deans arms. Dean was very strong, he noted. He wanted to reach out and touch the muscles there, but he knew that would be inappropriate at best. Cas's eyes wandered from Deans arms to his strong back, and continued to follow the lines of his body down to his waist.

Dean pushed the elevator call button with the corner of the mirror. He turned to look at Cas, who's eyes suddenly shot up to meet Deans.

"Was he checking me out? I think he was checking me out." Dean thought to himself and smirked. The overly healthy lifestyle Sam had been pushing on Dean for years was paying off.

"I'm on the third floor." He told Cas. "308."

The elevator doors opened and they both stepped inside. Cas leaned his box against the wall and pushed the 3. Dean held his hand out to stop the door closing. "You coming Sammy?" He called out.

"I'll catch the next one!" Sam called back. He had purposefully hung back to give his brother some space with his new 'friend'.

Dean put his hand back inside the elevator and let the door close. Was the elevator always this small? He felt impossibly close to the other man.

Cas spoke up, filling the palpable silence. "I'm in 413."

"Top floor. Must be nice." Dean answered him.

"I think Meg likes it." Cas said, and Dean's heart stopped for a beat. Cas quickly added, "She's my bird. Meg is I mean. I have a bird. A parrot actually, which is in fact still a bird."

"Great." Cas thought, "Now he's going to think I'm a crazy bird man."

Dean relaxed and smiled at Cas as the door of the elevator opened on the third floor.

"A bird hey? I can't keep anything alive. I had a plant once, it didn't end well for either of us." Dean said as they turned to walk up the hall.

They arrived at the door reading 308, and Dean looked to Cas. "Do you mind?" he asked looking down at the door knob. Cas shifted the weight of the box he was holding and reached down to open the door. They walked inside and Jess turned around to face them. Her eyes fell on the new addition to their little group and she was startled. "OH. Hi. Um. Wow. Hi!" Jess fumbled with her words.

Cass smiled at her. "Hello. You must be Jess. I have box 1 of 3. The box says it's a shelving unit."

"Yes, over here please." Jess pointed to where she wanted the unit to go. Cas walked through the living room and placed it down in the far corner, close to the sliding glass door where she had indicated. For the third time that day Cas held out his hand and introduced himself.

"Castiel? That's weird." Jess said bluntly.

"I have been made aware." Castiel laughed. "You can call me Cas."

Sam came through the front door, the other two smaller boxes for the shelving unit in his hands.

"Those go over here." Cas said to Sam, and pointed to where he had just set down his own box.

"Thanks." Sam said as he crossed the room. When he was close enough to Jess that only she would see his face he shot her a look. Jess returned it, her eyes sparkling and full of excitement. They had that special power that all soul mates seemed to share. The ability to speak to each other without actually saying a word.

Jess broke her eyes away from her husbands as she spoke to Dean. "No, that's for the dining room."

Dean turned around and put the mirror down where it belonged.

Jess slowly started to speak. "You know. Now that we have an extra set of hands, maybe Sam and I can quickly run out and grab lunch. Are you guy's hungry?"

"Starving." Dean replied.

"I don't want to impose." Cas said awkwardly.

"You aren't!" Jess continued. "Burgers all around?"

"You know me so well." Dean said to his sister in law with a big smile on his face. Jess turned her eyes to Cas. He told her that would be wonderful and thanked her.

Sam picked up the impalas keys from their spot on the counter. "Hey! What are you doing?" Dean asked his brother. "You guys can't keep working if we take the truck smart guy." Sam said simply.

"Oh yeah." Dean said, realizing Sam was right. "You put one scratch on my baby and I will end you." Dean pointed firmly at Sam while he said it.

"I know Dean." Sam sighed. He turned to Cas. "I 'borrowed' the impala once when we were younger without asking. I'm still surprised I survived."

When Sam and Jess were heading out the door, Jess said to Dean, "I told you where things were supposed to go when we were shopping. Just put stuff where I said and you should be fine. We won't be gone long."

"Yeah, yeah now go." Dean said as he ushered them out the door. Once it was closed Dean looked at Cas. "I didn't listen to a word she said in any of the stores. This should be interesting." He reached down and grabbed the door knob. "Maybe if we get everything moved up here she will be impressed enough to forgive me."

"We had better move quickly then." Cas told Dean, as they left the apartment together.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam and Jess climbed into the impala and left the parking lot. As soon as they were clear of the building Sam held his hand out to Jess and she high fived him. "They are so cute right? Dean's so into him, it's all over his face." Jess said as she looked to her husband. "And Cas. Castiel, what kind of a name is … It doesn't matter. Anyways he's… you know."

Sam barked out a laugh, "Totally dreamy?"

"Totally." Jess replied. "I hope he's single. And gay."

"Oh yeah." Sam stopped for a red light. "I hadn't actually thought of that."

They rode in silence for a while. Jess had her nose in her phone when Sam started up again.

"I just want Dean to figure it out, you know? He needs to understand everyone is ok with it if he comes out. I want him to be happy." Sam sighed. "I've tried to talk to him about it, in my own way. He always shuts the conversation down before we can get anywhere. Based on my computers history when he borrows it, I think he already has a pretty good idea of the truth. He needs to learn how to cover his tracks better if he really wants to keep it a secret. I don't think he wants to keep it a secret. It's eating him alive."

Jess, familiar with Sam's long emotional monologues, wasn't listening to him at all. "Ok. So I found him on Facebook. He doesn't have any relationship status, so that's good. He doesn't list his interest as far as men or women, but that could be a good thing too right? Mostly from what I can see around his security settings he just has lots of pictures of birds. I'm gonna add him" She said as she dramatically put a finger to her screen. "There. We should be friends in no time."

They took their sweet time getting everyone lunch. They stopped at a liquor store and grabbed a case of beer for all the guys as well. Neither one said it out loud, but they both hoped maybe some drinks would get Dean and Cas better acquainted.

They headed back towards the apartment.

Dean and Castiel had everything moved up and piled into the living room pretty quickly. Now they just had time to kill until their food arrived.

"So, Cas, what do you do?" Dean asked.

"I'm an ornithologist." Cas said a little self-consciously. "I study the birds in the area. Their behaviours, physiology, and habitats. I work a lot in conservation as well."

"Oh yeah." Dean said, clearly out of his depth.

"I find it all very fascinating. Most people don't though, so don't worry if you aren't interested in it." Cas continued.

Dean looked to Cas like he expected him to go on, so slowly and awkwardly he did.

"I always wished I could fly, for as long as I can remember. Birds can fly, most of them anyways, and they can use that to go anywhere, whenever they want. They have their own unique view of the world, and I've made a life out of learning about it. Please don't let me bore you Dean." Cas said warily.

"You aren't. That's really cool man. I mean, I don't get it at all. I hate flying. I would take my boots on the ground or wheels on the road over getting into one of those metal death traps people fly around in any day." Dean thought for a moment and continued. "It sounds like a lot of thinking though. You must be pretty smart."

Cas smiled down towards the floor at the compliment. "I guess you could say that. I've studied for a long time to get where I am in the field."

Cas felt uncomfortable having the conversation completely focused on him. "What about you Dean, what do you do?"

"Right now? Nothing. I should be starting work with my uncle Bobby next week at his salvage yard. I've always had a knack for fixing up cars. I learned it from my dad growing up." Dean said, surprisingly comfortable with his sharing.

"Your dad was a mechanic?" Cas asked, trying to see if Dean would continue.

"No, not really. He was a salesman. He did a lot of auto work on the side though and sometimes he would let me and Sammy tag along. We traveled around a lot. Got to see a lot of cool cars on the road."

"And you drive the impala I've seen in the parking lot?" Cas asked, glad that Sam had mentioned what kind of car it was before he left. Cas didn't know the first thing about them.

"Yeah, that's my baby. She was my dad's. He gave her to me when I turned 16." Dean smiled fondly at the memory. It was one of the few really great ones he had of John.

"It's a nice looking car." Cas tried. "Very … shiny."

"You don't know anything about cars do you?" Dean laughed.

"No. I don't." Cas admitted. He figured honesty would save him embarrassment later on. He was very much hoping that the two of them would have a later on. "I have one though. It's a '78 Lincoln Continental Mark V. It's gold." He wasn't sure what any of it meant, just what his insurance papers told him.

"I thought you said you were an ornth … orni … orthalag…. Bird guy. Not a pimp." Dean smiled at Cas as he said it.

"Well, I'm not a pimp. Am I driving a pimp car? I was not aware. I don't drive it very often. It makes a sound that makes me nervous, so I really only take it out if I have to." Cas said.

"I can take a look at that for you." Dean told Cas, excited at the prospect of more time spent together.

Cas accepted the offer, motivated by the idea of seeing Dean again. "If you have the time that would be great. Please don't go out of your way though, I don't mind walking where I need to go."

Sam and Jess opened the door to the apartment.

"What the hell? Do people here just let any strangers inside?" Dean asked, slightly annoyed at his time talking with Cas being interrupted.

"No." Sam said to Dean. "Some jack asses did leave the front door propped open with a rock though."

"Dean. Not even close." Jess said exasperated as she looked around the room.

Dean looked at Cas. He looked like a guilty puppy, and Dean felt his heart melt.

Jess must have noticed it too because she started right back up. "It's not a big deal. We can sort this out. Good job on bringing everything up you guys. We brought the grub, dig in."

Everybody ate wherever they found the room to in the cluttered apartment. Sam and Jess questioned Cas relentlessly about his work and interests. Cas answered them the best he could, while trying his best to remain modest. He was very accomplished in his field and tried not to let his pride or ego interfere.

When they had finished their meal, Jess directed the men as to where the objects piled in the living room were supposed to go. Everybody talked and laughed. It felt natural. All of them together, even with Cas being completely new to the party, it felt right.

Sam and Jess explained that they had promised Bobby and Karen they would spend the night over at their place and they had to get going. Dean felt a little bit scorned that they cancelled their stay at the hotel for Bobby and Karen, but left him alone his first night.

They said their goodbyes at the door. Jess reminded Dean about when his bigger furniture, like his couches, would be arriving. They made sure to let Cas know how much they appreciated his help.

As the front door closed on them, both Cas and Dean suddenly felt how alone they were together.

"I guess I should probably get going too." Cas told Dean, a look of regret in his eyes.

"If you don't have anywhere to be you can stay for another beer?" Dean offered, hoping Blue Eyes would take him up on it.

"Meg will be expecting her dinner soon, but yes, I supposed I could stay a little bit longer." Cas was relieved that Dean had extended the invitation.

They sat on the living room floor together, talking about nothing in particular. Cas's pocket buzzed for the 4th time since Dean had grabbed them both another drink and decided to ask him about it.

"Do you have to get that?" Dean asked, looking towards Castiel's pocket. His eyes may have lingered there a little too long, but he didn't think Cas noticed.

"I doubt it." Cas sighed as he reached to grab his phone. He looked at the missed calls and his brow furrowed.

"Bad news?" Dean asked, hoping he wasn't crossing any lines.

"It's my ex." Cas said.

"She not letting it go?" Dean asked, hoping to have the question that had been on his mind since Cas had first held the door for him cleared up.

Cas looked worried as he turned his eyes to meet Deans. "He, actually. And no, he isn't taking kindly to things being over between us."

"He. He. He! HE!" Dean's mind screamed at him.

"Oh." Dean said, far more calmly than he felt inside. "Well that sucks. Can I ask what happened?"

Cas looked at Dean and didn't see any judgement there. He was relieved. He hoped maybe he had just opened the door to the potential of something more between them.

"Well…" Cas started and petered off. "It's complicated I guess. Gadreel"

Dean stopped him there. "Gadreel? Are you kidding me? I thought Castiel was weird."

Cas let himself laugh at that. "Yes, Gadreel. Our parents were close growing up. They still are actually. We were both named after angels. It was kind of their thing. I guess I won that draw."

Cas let out a small sigh and continued. "Gadreel wasn't, I don't know. Right for me I guess. He is very proud. Eager to prove himself. He has his own demons to deal with, I feel for him." Cas thought hard. "He's very kind. Very honest. Not bad looking. I don't know." Cas looked at Dean. Their eyes met, blue and green. "He just wasn't right for me."

Dean was quiet.

Castiel picked his beer bottle up. He took a long drink. "Anyways. I'm not answering. Eventually he will stop calling."

"That's always worked for me." Dean said as he held his bottle out to Cas.

Cas lifted his beer and tapped it against Deans. They drank together. As he lowered it the bottle was empty.

"I really had better go and feed Meg." Cas said, lowering his bottle to the floor letting out an empty clink.

Dean stood up and offered Cas his hand. He helped Cas up and they stood together for a moment.

Dean was the first to break away. He leaned over and grabbed the empty bottle from Cas's hand. "You go feed your bird" He said as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Thank you for everything today Dean." Cas said as he walked towards the door.

"No, thank you." Dean said confidently. "You are welcome here any time Cas. Let me know about that car of yours and I'll take a look."

"Thank you Dean." Cas said. "Have a good night. I will talk to you soon." Cas left the apartment as Dean held the door.

After he closed it, Dean fell apart.

"What was that? That was awesome. He was awesome." Dean's mind was racing. "He was smart. And funny. So nice. And gay."

Dean stopped dead where he had been pacing around the room.

"Ok." His small inner voice said. The one he chose never to listen to. "Maybe a little gay."

For the first time in his life, the thought didn't hurt.


	7. Chapter 7

Castiel entered his apartment. He felt high. What had just happened? Did that actually go every bit as well as he thought it did? He was almost completely sure it had. "Meg!" He called into the living room.

Meg squawked back at him in acknowledgement.

Cas walked into his kitchen and opened the fridge. He grabbed one of the small pre portioned homemade meals he had in there. He pulled the saran wrap off the top as he walked towards the cage.

"Meg. That went really well." He was grinning so hard his cheeks hurt. "He's amazing." He told her as he opened the cage door to place the small dish inside.

Meg hopped down from her highest perch and started pecking away at her vegetables and grains.

"He works on cars. He's very handsome. I mean." Cas sighed out a long breath. "He's really, really handsome. I think he likes me too." Cas looked towards Meg as though she was going to give him some encouragement. She just kept eating her dinner.

Cas flopped himself down on the couch next to the cage. He leaned back and ran his hands through his hair and over his face, pulling down his bottom lip as he did it. He felt his mouth turn back up in to its smile. When was the last time he smiled this much? He had a hard time remembering.

His phone buzzed in his pocket again. "Go away Gadreel. I am too happy to deal with you right now." He pulled the phone out of his pocket and held down the power button.

Castiel told Meg everything. He described the entire day to her in detail. He knew she didn't really understand him, or care for that matter. He just wanted to hear it again himself.

Meg finished off her dinner, and Cas reached back into the cage to take the empty dish away. He held his free hand out to her and she climbed on to it. She hopped her way up his arm and perched herself on his shoulder. Cas walked back to the kitchen to wash out her dish. As the water was running down into the sink he turned his head to the shoulder Meg was sitting on. "I'm sorry I didn't spend very much time with you today. I hope you understand."

Meg put her face into Castiel's hair and gave him little bird kisses behind his ear. "I knew you would." Cas said to her as she did it.

He walked back to Meg's cage and put her lovingly back inside. She hopped herself back up to her high perch, it was her favorite place to sit, and looked at herself in the little mirror that was hanging nearby.

"Good night Meg." Cas said to the bird and turned to go to his bedroom. He wasn't sure how easy it was going to be to fall asleep tonight with his heart racing the way it was. After he showered though the day finally caught up with him.

Castiel laid himself in bed, getting comfortable under his covers. He looked at the empty space beside him and his mind went wherever it wanted. He day dreamed about Dean being there with him. As his thoughts carried him off he eventually fell asleep.

Dean woke up to a knock on the door. He slowly started to sit up, and his visitor knocked again harder. "Ok, Ok, I'm coming hold on." Dean lifted himself begrudgingly away from his warm bed and went to answer the door.

When he opened it he saw Sam and Jess standing there. "How the hell do you guys keep getting in here?" Dean asked them.

"It was a tall guy. Young. Really skinny, like, skeletal skinny. Big nose, way too chipper for 8am on a Sunday." Sam said as he walked through the door.

"Don't know him." Dean said with a sigh. "Come on in why don't you."

Dean had never been much of a morning person. Luckily his brother and sister in law knew that and came bearing coffee.

"Why are you here so early anyways?" Dean asked them in slightly better spirits after downing half his cup.

"We have to head back home today. Sam works tomorrow remember?" Jess reminded Dean.

"Oh yeah." Dean said, suddenly worried as reality set in. Sam and Jess were leaving. He knew they had to go home eventually, but he didn't think it would come so soon.

"How was the rest of your night?" Jess asked Dean, hoping she wasn't being too obvious.

"It was good. Cas hung around for a little while longer after you two left. He's a nice guy." Dean told her, trying to hold back the smile he could feel playing at the corner of his mouth.

"That's great Dean!" Sam said a little more enthusiastically than he meant to. "You've already made a friend here. That's great. Really great."

"Thanks mom." Dean rolled his eyes at Sam as he said it.

Jess laughed. "It is great Dean. Cas is a nice guy, and that was wonderful of him to help us so much yesterday." She stopped herself before she pushed her luck too far.

"Yeah." Was all Dean could bring himself to add. He knew if he started talking too much about Cas he wasn't going to stop. They would see right through him. He was just starting to accept that maybe, possibly, he could be a tiny bit gay. He wasn't ready to tell Sam and Jess about it though, that was for damn sure.

Dean drained the last bit of coffee from his cup into his mouth.

"We wanted to come and say goodbye before we hit the road. Which, we need to start doing." Sam said as he turned to look at Jess.

Jess frowned. "Yes I know." She sighed and walked to where Dean was leaning against the kitchen counter. She raised herself up on her toes as Dean leaned in for an awkward hug, trying to avoid squishing her ever growing belly. "I'm going to miss you Dean. It won't be the same at home without you eating everything."

Dean laughed at that. He knew she meant it. "I'll miss you too Jess."

She pulled away from Dean and looked up into his eyes. She was giving him her mom look, and he braced himself for whatever was coming.

"You call. Don't say you will and then don't do it either. I want to know how things are going out here. I'm going to be bored stiff at home with nothing to think about but my aching back and swollen ankles."

"I will call. Scouts honor." Dean said to her raising three fingers to his brow. He had never been a scout, but Jess's brothers had been. It was something he had picked up from her after living together so long.

Jess relaxed at that.

Dean turned his attention downwards. "And I will be seeing you soon." He reached out and touched Jess's belly. "I have some CD's you can take home if you want." Dean said to Sam and Jess. "You can play them through head phones like this." He mimed putting head phones over Jess's stomach.

"That's ok Dean." Sam said with a smile. "I am sure she will be hearing more than enough of your music once she's here."

"You bet your ass she will be!" Dean smiled.

Jess shot Dean a look.

"You bet your butt." Dean corrected himself.

Jess turned towards the door and went to pick up her purse from its spot on the floor.

When it was just Sam and Dean, Sam faced his brother. He had a serious look on his face and Dean once again braced himself for what he knew was coming. It wasn't truly time spent with Sam until he had attempted a heart to heart conversation.

"Dean." Sam started.

"Yes Sammy?" Dean looked up to his brother with his best 'get it over with' look on his face.

Sam sighed. "I know you don't want to hear it, but just listen to me ok? Please try and make this work. I want you to be happy." Sam paused to gather his thoughts. "Whatever happy means to you. No matter what you do, or how you live your life, as long as you're happy, I'm happy for you."

Dean saw how hard his brother was trying, and decided to drop the face he was giving him.

"Just, please, ok Dean?"

"Ok Sammy." Dean said. His thoughts turning to the night before. He had been happy then.

Sam grabbed his brother's shoulder and pulled him in for a manly hug.

"Ok, good." Sam said as he stepped back, patting his brother on the shoulder one more time.

Dean walked Sam and Jess down to their truck. He watched them as they pulled out of the parking lot and they waved back at him. He smiled and gave them a small wave in return.

Once Dean could no longer see them he let out a rough breath. He looked around the parking lot. The sun was already beating down on his skin, even though the air was still cool from the night before. He saw the cars and thought about calling Bobby. Dean knew he needed to get to work to keep himself from going crazy. As he continued to look around the lot his eyes fell on an old gold Lincoln.

"Ok, Sammy. I'll try." Dean said as he turned to go back inside.


	8. Chapter 8

As Dean approached the front door, reaching to grab his keys, it opened. A thin woman with long red hair brushed past him. "Excuse me." She said as she turned at the last moment to avoid running in to Dean. She was dressed like a crazy person, Dean thought to himself. The woman straightened out her tunic and carried on. "Moondoor awaits!" She said as she marched forwards.

Dean shrugged and walked through the open door.

Dean called Bobby when he got back upstairs.

"Hey Bobby" Dean said happily as Bobby answered his call.

"Good morning to you too Sunshine." Bobby replied.

"What's happening at the yard? When do you want me to come in?"

"Well Sundays are slow over here, so it won't be right now." Bobby said to Dean, sure his eagerness to come in and start working had something to do with Sam and Jess leaving. "But how about tomorrow morning? Around 11?"

"Sounds good to me Bobby. I'll see you then."

They ended the call. Dean loved how direct and to the point Bobby was.

Dean decided to start building the various shelves Jess had chosen for him that were still laying in boxes around the house. He lost himself in the mundane tasks he had set out for him until well into the afternoon.

Castiel woke up close to 11am. He hadn't slept in this late in a long time. He laid in bed and enjoyed the sunshine coming in through his window. He felt content. He reached over to check the time on his phone and remembered he had turned it off. As he held down the button on the side he was dreading the missed calls that were bound to pop up. He was right, 3 more missed calls from Gadreel.

"Please stop this." Cas sighed as he laid back into his bed.

It wasn't that he didn't like Gadreel. He liked him fine. The problem was that he only liked him. He didn't feel anything more than a warm friendship there. Castiel wasn't great with social interactions on his best days. He couldn't manage to play along with Gadreel as anything more if his heart wasn't in it.

"I shouldn't have ever agreed to go out with him." Cas scolded himself.

This wasn't the first time Castiel had beaten himself up about it. He could barely remember why he had finally said yes in the first place. Sure, he had been going through a dry patch, but that wasn't so much a 'patch' as much as it was 'Castiel's love life'.

There was the mounding pressure from his parents. They were always calling and talking Gadreel up to him. Gadreel was the only other gay person they knew, and he just so happened to be around Cas's age and single. Not to mention the son of their friends.

"Stupid." Cas muttered to himself.

Cas had known Gadreel their whole lives. From the time they were small their parents would have play dates for the two of them. They went to different schools, but they always maintained a friendship. Cas had known for a long time that Gadreel was sweet on him, but he ignored it to save the friendship they had built.

Why was this happening now?

"Because you went and said yes to a date." Cas's mind shot at him.

Cas felt guilty. He knew now he never should have done it. At the time he felt lonely, fed up, and desperate. He figured he knew Gadreel was a good person, so why not give it a shot.

Gadreel was over eager when they finally went out. He had been pursuing Cas for years and was finally getting his chance. He had dressed himself to the nines, and took Cas to the best restaurant he knew.

Cas had been glad he at least decided to wear a suit jacket over his T-shirt. He wasn't exactly 'fashion forward' and he knew it. Sitting in the dining room of the fancy diner, he felt uncomfortable.

He remembered looking at Gadreel across the table. The man was completely enthralled with him. Cas tried to keep the conversation normal, like they would have any other day. Any day other than this one. Gadreel kept turning the conversation to weird angles though and Cas wasn't able to keep up. He had finished his dinner quickly and just wanted the 'date' to be over with.

Gadreel had dragged it on. Staying for 'one more bite' or 'one more drink'. Cas had finally managed to convince Gadreel that he needed to get home, saying he had 'research' to get done and he was terribly behind. He had exited the car and thanked Gadreel for dinner before any awkward 'kiss stuff' could unfold.

Before Cas could finish closing the car door, finally regaining his freedom, Gadreel had leaned towards him. Softly, he looked to Cas. "Can I see you again Castiel?"

"Yes Gadreel, of course." Cas had said, meaning it.

What he had meant was that of course he would see Gadreel again. It seemed so obvious to him at the time. As he reflected on it later, he realized he had been sending the wrong message. Gadreel didn't want to 'see' him again. He wanted to date him again.

The two of them went on a less awkward movie date after that. Gadreel acted more like the friend Cas had grown up with, and less like a love struck idiot.

They went out a few more times, with varying degrees of awkwardness. Cas just didn't feel it though. He could see Gadreel was head over heels, but he couldn't lead him on any further.

"Gadreel." Cas said as Gadreel was dropping him off at the front door of the apartment building. "I don't know what you are hoping to have happen here." Cas took in a deep breath and sighed out. "But, I don't think we should do this anymore."

Cas saw Gadreel's face fall as he listened. A pang of guilt went through him as he looked at his oldest friend.

"Please Castiel." Gadreel said to him. "Tell me what I am doing wrong so I can fix it."

"You aren't doing anything wrong. I just, we are better friends." Cas said uncomfortably. He had hoped being honest was going to set things back to normal. He was starting to worry now that going back to normal wasn't an option.

Gadreel gripped his steering wheel firmly.

Cas exited the vehicle and closed the door. Gadreel left the parking lot in a hurry, refusing to make eye contact with Cas before he left.

Castiel had stood in the parking lot for a few minutes afterwards. He was wracked with confusion and guilt. He let the cool night air wash over him and reminded himself this was for the best.

As Cas started walking towards the front doors, he saw a familiar face just going to leave the building. Cas did his best to smile at his neighbor who was holding the door for him. "Working another night shift?" He asked. "You know it brother." His neighbor said in his thick Cajun accent. He reached up and tilted his old fisherman's hat towards Castiel. "Something eating at you short stop?" He asked Cas, noticing that his neighbor seemed out of sorts.

"It's alright Benny. I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern." Cas said as he walked through the open door.

That had been a week ago. Cas didn't hear anything from Gadreel for the first few days. Then the calls started coming. Castiel had made the mistake of answering the first one.

"Castiel, please can we just try this again?" Gadreel had begged over the phone.

After that call ended poorly, Cas decided he wouldn't be answering again for a while. The calls became more frequent. Gadreel left voice messages that Cas couldn't stand listening to. He missed his friend, but he couldn't handle this version of him.

Cas rolled over onto his stomach and pushed his face into his pillow. He heard Meg squawking in the other room and decided to get himself out of bed.

He spent his day inside catching up on some research he had on the go and hanging out with Meg. He absorbed himself in his work. With that on his mind he was slowly able to let his other thoughts go.

Dean's furniture arrived at 4pm on the nose. The movers knocked on his apartment door and headed inside with his couch. Dean didn't even bother asking them how they got inside without calling him.

With his couch and table finally in the place it was starting to look a lot better, like someone actually lived there. Dean worked unpacking more of his boxes and put things away on the shelves he had finished building. By the end of the day he was exhausted. He sat himself down on the couch and looked at his TV. He had forgotten to call about getting his cable hooked up and reminded himself that he had to get that done. He decided to pop in one of his old DVD's. He chose "High Plains Drifter" and settled in. He laid back on his couch and fell asleep, listening to the sounds of horses and Clint Eastwood shooting his pistol.

Dean woke up early the next morning and was pleasantly surprised that he wasn't sore from sleeping on the couch all night. Jess had some great taste in furniture. He had fallen asleep in his clothes, and decided to do a quick shirt swap before heading out the door.

It was overcast outside and Dean enjoyed the change in temperature. He rolled up to the salvage yard early.

He walked into one of the garages on the property and saw things were already picking up. Bobby came out from behind an older jeep that was sitting up on blocks with its tires removed.

"You're early." Bobby stated once he saw Dean.

"First time for everything." Dean replied. "I'm just eager to get to work."

"Well I got plenty of that for you. Go grab some cover all's from the back and get your ass over here."

Dean did as he was told. He was relieved to see his old set of cover all's hanging on a hook. They were clean, Karen must have washed them and put them out for him. As he finished buttoning up the front he noticed Karen had made her own little addition. Over his left breast there was a small name plate sewed on that spelled out his name. Dean smiled and reminded himself to thank her later.

Dean walked back into the garage and met up with Bobby, who was standing over by the tire machine. "So what are looking at here Bobby?" Dean asked.

"This ones just a tire change." He stuck out his thumb behind him at the Jeep. "We've been getting a lot of that lately."

"Ok, easy enough." Dean said grabbing one of the tires Bobby had already finished putting on rims.

"Next one won't be as easy." Bobby continued. "We got a bad transmission coming up next. Some kid fresh out of high schools been driving his car into the ground. Typical." Bobby grunted.

The weather started to warm up as the sky cleared. They worked away all day, only stopping briefly in the afternoon to eat. By the end of the day Dean was covered in dirt and oil. Sweat sticking the debris from the shop to his skin.

"Alright boy, that's it for today" Bobby said as he closed the hood of the car they had been working on. "You head home and wash up. I'll see you again tomorrow bright and early."

Dean headed home. He was beat. He parked the impala and stepped out into the last lingering light of the day. It was already 7:30 and he was getting hungry. He looked out and saw Castiel walking up the path towards the parking lot. He was wearing his same hoody from the other day, his head down as he walked. "Hey Cas." Dean called out to him and Castiel looked up.

Cas's mood brightened instantly when he saw Dean. He had had a long day at work. Trying to save the 100 acres of nature area in town was proving difficult with all the red tape that kept popping up.

"Hello Dean." Cas said as he walked closer to where Dean was standing. "How was your day at work?"

"Great! Lots to do over there so I kept busy. How about you?" Dean asked, thinking about how Cas had looked before he heard Dean call out to him.

Cas sighed and shifted the small carrying case he had slung over his shoulder. It was full of all the paper work he was going to have to read through that night. "It was long." Cas replied honestly. "Do we really need another parking lot in this town?" He shook his head.

Dean wasn't sure what Cas was talking about but he responded anyways. "Based on how many cars I saw today you might."

Cas let out another small sigh and smiled at Dean. He saw dirt smudged on his face and neck. There were small lines showing where Dean had already tried to wipe it away. Dean smelled like an auto shop and Cas found he didn't mind it at all. Especially not when it was mixed with the smell of Dean underneath.

"Well, they are going to have to find somewhere else to park." Cas continued. "I have enough paperwork here to at least put up a fight." Cas shrugged the shoulder holding his bag.

"Good on you man." Dean said as he gave Cas a firm pat on the shoulder. They both headed towards the front door of the building.

As they got there the girl from the other morning was just going inside. She held the door for them. She was dressed differently now Dean noted. She was wearing jeans and a normal T-shirt with a symbol on the front he didn't quite recognize. He was pretty sure it was from an old video game, but he couldn't put his finger on which one.

"Hello Charlie." Cas said to the girl as they walked through the open door. "How is Moondoor?"

Charlie brightened. "Kick ass, as always." She looked at Dean. "You're the guy I almost ran over yesterday." She stated.

"Yeah" Dean let out a small laugh. "I'm Dean, I just moved in."

"Well nice to meet you Dean. I'm Charlie, Queen of Moondoor." She held her head up regally.

"It's good to meet you, your highness." Dean said to her and she beamed at him.

Charlie turned away to continue up the hallway. "Catch ya later bitches!" She said as she held up her hand in the classic 'live long and prosper' symbol.

"She different." Dean said to Cas.

"Yes she is." Cas acknowledged. "She's a very nice person. I like her a lot."

The two men stepped into the elevator together, Castiel pushing the 3 and the 4 so they lit up.

Dean wanted to ask Cas for his phone number, but he got too nervous as the door opened up on his floor. He would see Cas again and get it then. Hell, they lived in the same building, it was inevitable.

Dean stepped out into the hall way and told Cas to have a good night.

"You too Dean." Cas said as the door to the elevator closed.


	9. Chapter 9

Dean worked at the same time every day. Bobby said his hours were flexible, and Dean knew that was true. Honestly, Dean enjoyed that he got home from work at the same time as Cas, so he continued his 11-7 shift.

Dean and Cas had made a habit out of seeing each other at the end of the day. Dean didn't want that to stop. Even though it was only ten minutes of catching up before they parted ways, they were Deans favorite ten minutes of the day.

When he arrived home on Friday, Dean waited outside his car. Cas was running late.

After 20 minutes of watching the path, he decided to head inside. Dean just caught the front door before it closed. The tall, thin man Sam must have been talking about was just leaving. He was wearing a big smile on his face and a Texas Ranger hat.

"Who the hell are these people?" Dean wondered to himself as he headed upstairs.

Dean jumped in the shower when he got inside. After he was dressed in clean clothes, he ate more leftovers from one of the shepherds pies Karen had sent home with him. When Dean was just starting to get bored looking around his apartment for something to do, he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and saw Cas standing there.

"Hello Dean." Cas sounded tired. "May I come in?"

"Yeah Cas, of course." Dean opened the door the rest of the way to let Castiel inside.

"Thank you." Cas entered and looked around the apartment. "This looks much better." He told Dean.

"Yeah it's coming along." Dean said as he shut the door. He looked at Cas lingering in the dining room. He looked unsettled.

"What's going on Cas?" Dean asked concerned.

When Cas didn't respond right away Dean continued. "Take off your coat, stay a while. Come on in."

Cas took off his faded beige trench coat and bag and slung them over the nearest chair. Dean grabbed two beers from the fridge and opened them. He handed one to Cas and indicated for him to follow him to the living room.

They sat down on the couch. Cas, was nervously drumming his fingers on the side of his bottle.

"Ok, C'mon Cas. Spill it. Someone trying to build another parking lot?"

Cas let out a breath. "No, I wish." He paused and turned to look at Dean. "Do you think you would have time to look at my car this weekend?" Cas asked, his face showing how bad he felt asking for the favor.

"Sure. We can take it in to the shop tomorrow if you aren't busy." Dean wondered how that could possibly make Cas feel so uncomfortable. "Is that really all that's going on?"

"No." Cas said simply. "It's Gadreel."

"Oh." Dean said as a half question, half statement.

"I still haven't been answering his calls." Cas explained. "He's started taking the same bus as me. I didn't notice him at first, but he tried talking to me today." Cas leaned back into the couch. "That's why I was late coming home. I took a different bus route, even though it took me considerably longer."

Dean liked that Cas was expecting to see him at the end of the day too, and that he knew Dean would notice when he wasn't there.

"If my car was running properly I could just drive myself." Cas continued. "It wouldn't solve the problem, but it would keep me from having to deal with that," Cas searched for the word, "unpleasantness"

Dean felt a small swell of anger rise in his chest. Who the hell was this guy that he thought he could go around making Cas feel like this? Dean was more than happy to help put a stop to it.

"We can get that pimp mobile of yours fixed up in no time." Dean told Cas confidently.

"That would be great Dean. I really appreciate it." Cas said, looking down at his hands.

They sat quietly together for a while. Dean spoke up after he couldn't stand the silence, or the concerned look Cas was wearing, any longer.

"Do I need to kick this guy's ass?" He asked Cas. "I'll do it. I haven't been in a good fight in a long time." He gave Castiel a big smile, to let him know he was mostly joking.

Cas laughed. "No Dean, there is no ass kicking required here. He's just heartbroken and confused. I don't know if I am helping things or hurting them by ignoring his calls." Cas ran his hand over his face as he said it.

Cas and Dean talked on the couch for a long while after that. Cas explained to Dean his past with Gadreel and how complicated that made things.

"Well, shit man." Dean said. "I can see why you don't want any ass kicking. But, the offer stands if he doesn't back off." He looked seriously to Cas as he said it.

Cas let himself smile wide. "I will remember if it goes that far Dean."

They looked at the clock Dean had finally put up. It said it was just after 10.

"I had better get upstairs. Meg is probably going to be angry with me for making her wait this long for her dinner." Cas said as he pushed himself up off the couch.

"When do you want to head out tomorrow?" Dean asked standing to join Cas.

"I am usually up early in the day. Whenever you are ready to go is fine with me." Cas said. "I can give you my number so you can let me know when you are ready to go."

Dean's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, that's sounds good." He said as he held his phone out to Cas.

Castiel took it and put his name and number into Dean's contacts. When he was finished he handed back the phone.

"Ok, cool." Dean said as he put the phone back in his pocket. He felt the warmth there, knowing Cas had just held it in his hands.

"Thank you again Dean." Cas said as put his coat on and his bag back over his shoulder. "I will see you tomorrow."

Castiel closed the door behind himself.

It was getting late, but Dean felt wide awake. He looked at the clock and saw it was 10:20. He took his phone out of his pocket and looked through his contacts.  
There he was. 'Castiel Novak' followed by his phone number. Dean squeezed the phone in his hand and scrolled through his contacts until he got to 'Home'.

He pushed the button to start the call and it rang. He knew it was late, but Jess was probably up. He knew the baby tended to keep her up at night. After the third ring Jess answered.  
"Finally." She sighed, bypassing any of the usual phone etiquette. "It's been five days. What took you so long?"

Dean smiled. "Sorry Jess, I've been working all week."

They engaged in small talk for a while. Jess asked how work was going. Dean asked how his brother was doing and how his niece was coming along.

"How's Cas?" Jess eventually asked him.

"He's ok. He just left not long ago actually. We're gonna take a look at his car tomorrow." He told her.

"Oh. He just left? Now?" Dean thought he could hear a slightly inquiring edge to her voice.

"Yeah. He, " Dean wondered how much he could say to Jess without over sharing. He didn't want to betray Castiel's confidence, but he also really wanted to talk to someone. As far as someone's went, he knew Jess was trustworthy.

"He's having a problem with this guy. His ex. He's getting pretty stalkerish and it's making Cas uncomfortable." Dean told her.

At home where she was sitting on the couch, Jess held the phone away from her face. Her mouth dropped open and she reached both of her hands in the air in silent celebration. As she lowered the phone back to her head she regained her composure. "Oh. Well that's no good. You're going to help him?"

"As much as I can." Dean said.

"Good Dean. I'm glad to hear things are going ok out there for you." Jess turned to look at the clock, it was after 11.

"If you are getting up tomorrow you better head to bed." She told Dean. "Call again soon and let me know how things go."

Dean told her he would and they said their goodbyes.

Jess sat on the couch with her mouth open for a minute after the call ended. She looked at the digital clock reading beside her again. "Screw it, I'm telling Sam." Jess said as she quickly headed upstairs to the bedroom.

Jess was right. It was late and he had plans to be up soon. He gathered himself together and headed towards the bedroom.

When he was finished with his routine, Dean laid down in his bed. He was excited to see Cas. It would be just them hanging out. He started counting backwards to make the morning come quicker.


	10. Chapter 10

Dean woke up just after 8 the next morning. The first thing he thought after he opened his eyes was 'Cas'.

He got himself out of bed in a hurry and jumped in the shower. He looked through the bags of clothes he had purchased when he was shopping with Jess and Sam and picked his outfit. He chose a dark button down shirt, and some new jeans that fit him really well. As he finished doing his hair he looked in the mirror and felt good about what he saw.

Dean was about to leave the apartment and thought about calling to let Cas know he was on his way. Something in his mind told him not to. He was hoping maybe he would catch him off guard and get to see him like that. The thought was too tempting to pass up. He took the stairs up to the fourth floor and knocked on door 413.

Cas answered and was surprised to see Dean standing there looking the way he did. He wasn't nearly as ready to start the day. He was wearing an old T shirt he had gone to bed in and sweat pants. "Oh, hello Dean." Cas said as he opened the door.

This was exactly what Dean was hoping for.

"Good morning." Dean said with a big grin on his face. "I thought you got up early?"

"I thought you would call." Cas said back as he opened the door to let Dean inside.

Cas asked Dean if he would like a cup of coffee. Dean said he would love one and Cas poured two.

"What do you take?" Cas asked while Dean was looking around his apartment.

"Black." Dean said.

Cas left one cup untouched and threw a splash of cream in his own. He walked over to Dean and handed the mug to him.

"Thanks." Dean said as he took it.

Cas felt self-conscious. He hadn't even looked in the mirror yet, he hoped he wasn't a complete wreck.

Dean looked at Cas and tried his best not to smile too much at his bed head. He admired him in his sweat pants and looked at the strong build of Cas's arms and chest in the thin T-shirt he was wearing. He suddenly didn't think Cas needed him to do any of his ass kicking for him.

Meg let out a long squawk from her cage.

"You must be Meg." Dean said to the bird, glad to have something to pull his focus away. He walked himself through the living room and bent down near the cage.

"Egg" the bird repeated back to him.

"Close enough. I thought you said she was a parrot?" Dean asked Cas, who was still standing closer to the dining room.

"She is, technically." Cas told Dean. "She's a Palm Cockatiel."

Dean looked at Cas and saw him trying to translate what he was thinking into a language Dean could understand.

"Cockatiel and parrots, they are parrots, they are small parrots. If you look at the genealogy…" Cas looked at Dean clearly more stressed out than was necessary. "It will take me a long time to properly explain Dean."

Dean was watching Cas as he tried to explain his bird to him. How was he so adorable? What was he even blabbering on about?

"I'm going to call you a parrot." Dean said to Meg.

"That's exactly what I thought." Cas said with an exaggerated eye roll. He knew anybody who looked at Meg would assume she was a parrot.

Dean wasn't paying attention to him. He was watching the bird.

"Does it bite?" Dean asked.

Cas set his coffee down on the counter. "No." He said as he crossed into the living room.

He bent down beside Dean to look into the cage with him. He reached out and opened the small door.

Meg looked down to see Cas's hand entering the cage. She hopped down to meet him and wrapped her feet around his index finger.

Dean backed off a little as Cas took Meg out. For some reason, to Dean, the bird being inside the cage was fine, but out here in the real world, it was a wild animal.

"It's ok Dean." Cas said. "I know she can look mean, but she's actually very sweet." Cas turned his hand so Meg was facing him.

Cas looked at Dean and saw Meg made him nervous. It was ok. Lots of people were nervous around birds, Cas had learned after years studying them. He placed Meg back in her cage and closed the door.

"She doesn't bite." Cas walked back to the counter to pick up his coffee. He thought for a moment after he took a sip. "Unless she has to." He added.

Dean gave Cas a look that said he wasn't making it better.

"I should get ready." Cas said putting down his nearly empty mug of coffee.

"Ok Blue Eyes, I'll watch the bird." Dean said as he narrowed his eyes at Meg.

Cas walked into his bedroom and closed the door. "Blue Eyes?" He thought to himself, unable to stop the smile that spread across his face.

Dean heard the bedroom door close and muttered, "Shit."

"Shit." Meg repeated back to him.

"Oh that you can say?" Dean scowled at her.

Did he really just call Cas Blue Eyes? Damnit Dean. Maybe he didn't hear it. He didn't say anything.

Dean looked at Meg staring at him with her beady little eyes.

"Shut up Meg." Dean said to the bird.

Meg squawked at him.

Dean stood up and looked around the apartment. It was clean, like, clinically clean. If he didn't already know Cas was a bird guy, he would think he was a soldier. Everything was varying shades of grey and white. There were a few personal touches around the room. Strange things like a long silver blade sitting displayed on a shelf. He couldn't see any family photos. Everything he saw seemed like it had a practical function in Castiel's life.

Cas hurried himself to get ready. He grabbed a clean shirt and jeans from his closet and put them on. He brushed his teeth and washed his face. He was frustrated trying to get his hair to go where he wanted it. He settled on the fact that his hair was just going to be a little crazy that day and went back out to meet Dean.

"Ok. I'm dressed." Cas said as he walked into the living room.

"Ready to get this show on the road?" Dean asked. "What going on with your car anyways?"

Cas walked into his kitchen and pulled a set of keys from one of the drawers.

"I don't know. It screams." Cas said as he tossed Dean the keys. "It may be possessed."

"Let's hope not." Dean said as he played with the keys Cas had thrown him. "I can deal with car problems, but demonic possession I leave to the pros."

Dean looked down to the keys in his hand. "Huh." He said.

"What?" Cas asked him curiously.

"I figured there would be fuzzy dice on your key chain." Dean gave Cas a sideways glance.

"Very funny Dean." Cas said with a small roll of his eyes.

As they left the building they held the door open for another tenant. "Thanks old man." The teenage girl said as she walked thought the door.

"Old man?" Dean asked Cas as they walked through the parking lot.

"I don't know." Cas replied. "She called me lame once. I'm not lame."

They came up to Castiel's car. Dean looked it over from the outside. He pulled Cas's keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Once he was seated in the driver's seat he leaned over to unlock Cas's side. As Cas got in, Dean adjusted his seat back and moved the mirrors so he could see.

"Ok, let's see what we've got." Dean went to put the keys in the ignition when he caught a glimpse of Cas beside him. He had tensed up and his face looked like he was about to be punched.

"That bad?" He laughed at Cas.

"Just do it." Cas said without relaxing.

Dean started up the car and it started to squeal loudly.

Dean recoiled a bit at the noise. "Well that's your fan belt. I can tell you that for sure."

Dean started to back out of Castiel's parking spot as the car continued its high pitched whining.

When he came up to the first red light he heard the brakes scream out. "And that's your breaks. How long has it been running like this?"

"I don't know. A year maybe?" Cas told Dean, trying to remember when exactly the Devil had decided to take up residence in his car.

"Cas." Dean laughed and shook his head.

"Is that bad? I said I almost never use it." Cas was unsure what Dean was laughing about.

"Yes that's bad. So far it doesn't sound like anything hard to fix at least." Dean braced himself before he started to press on the breaks again.

They came up to the Salvage yard. It wasn't too busy yet Dean was relieved to see. He drove Cas's car over to the far side of the house, where Bobby worked on his own car projects in his spare time. Bobby came around the corner as the two men stepped out of the car.

"What in God's name is going on over here?" Bobby called to Dean.

"Hey Bobby." Dean called back as he walked to the front of the car and popped the hood.

"She's screaming louder than a nun in a whore house." Bobby stated as he came up beside Dean to look inside the car.

"You aren't kidding." Dean said. "Shouldn't take long to shut her up. So far it sounds like a fan belt and breaks."

Bobby grunted in agreement.

Cas stood awkwardly off to the side while the two men discussed his car.

"This your ride kid?" Bobby asked Cas, acknowledging him for the first time.

"Yes." Cas replied. He thought for a second and decided to add, "I'm not a pimp."

Bobby let out a short laugh. "Never thought you were. You must be Castiel." Bobby stuck his hand in his pocket and nodded.

Dean had mentioned him to his uncle?

"I am, yes. And you're Bobby." Cas returned the nod.

"Guilty as charged." Bobby turned back to Dean. "You boys gonna be working on this for a while? I'll let Karen know you're here, she'll want to feed you."

"You bet Bobby thanks." Dean said without moving his eyes from inside the car.

Bobby turned and walked towards the house. Dean looked up to Cas. "Pie." was all he said before reaching his hand in under the hood.

When his hand came back dirty Dean remembered he was wearing new clothes. "Come on with me for a sec." he told Cas while he turned to walk around the house to the main garage. Cas did as Dean asked.

Cas followed Dean into the small back room where his coveralls were hanging on their hook. He watched as Dean removed his button down and slipped into the cover all's.  
Cas tried not to be too obvious about his watching Dean dress. He looked around the corner into the main part of the garage. So this was where Dean spent most of his days? It suited him.

Dean grabbed a few things from around the shop and they headed back out to Castiel's car.

As Dean went back under the hood he turned to Cas. "You wanna learn a few things?" He asked. Cas frowned back at him.

"Sure." Cas replied. "Maybe later I can teach you about the flight patterns of the birds indigenous to the area?"

Dean laughed. "Ok, so I'll take that as a 'not really'."

Bobby came back out from the house. "The woman is tickled you brought a friend with you." He looked at Cas. "She's dying to meet you. Why don't you head up there and introduce yourself. Dean and I can have this hunk of junk fixed up in a jiffy."

"Oh. Ok. I can do that. Yes, I can do that." Cas shifted back and forth on his heels.

"Get doing it then, ya idjit." Bobby said, not unkindly.

"Ok. Here I go." He started towards the house. "Unless you really want to show me what you're doing?" Cas asked Dean, trying his best to stall.

Dean laughed, "That ship has sailed buddy. Go meet my Aunt. She won't bite." He smiled at Cas adding, "Unless she has to."

Cas thought back to earlier and was understanding now how Dean had felt. He let out a huff and walked himself towards the house.

Dean chuckled as he watched Cas go.

Bobby came up beside Dean and started helping him under the hood. "He's a pretty one. Doesn't know his ass from a gear shift though does he?"

Dean fumbled with the tool in his hand at the comment. "Not so much, no." He said as he got a hold of himself and got back to what he had been doing.

Bobby thought he had riled Dean up enough. "I'll get started on those breaks." He turned and walked to grab the tools he needed from his personal collection.

Cas continued his slow death march towards the front door.

He stood in front of the house and gave himself a small pep talk. "She won't bite." He reminded himself and lifted his hand to knock. He breathed out a long centering breath.

Karen opened the door before Cas had a chance to touch it. She must have been waiting on the other side. "Hello handsome!" Karen said as she laid her eyes on Cas. "Those are some eyes you have there. Come in darling make yourself at home."

"Thank you." Cas managed to say, a little flustered at the barrage of compliments he just received. He stepped through the threshold and into the house. "I'm Castiel." He told Karen.  
"Of course you are." Karen said to Cas with a huge grin on her face. "I've heard of you. Follow me."

Cas followed Karen through the house and into the kitchen. She grabbed her oven mitts and bent down to look through the window of the oven.

"That smells wonderful." Cas said as Karen opened the oven door and reached inside. She closed the door back up with a bump of her hip. "I'm a pie genius. Just you wait." She said as she set the pie on a cooling rack.

After she removed her mitts Karen turned her full attention to Cas. "So, Castiel. Dean says you're a bird guy."

Cas shook his head slightly and couldn't help grinning. "I'm an ornithologist yes. I do have a master's degree, it's a little bit more involved than just being a bird guy."

"Fancy." Karen smiled at Cas as she said it. "I have some questions then I'm sure you can answer." She walked through the swinging doors of the kitchen and Cas assumed he was meant to follow her.

"You sit there." Karen pointed to the couch in the living room. "I'll be back in a moment."

Cas sat down and waited for Karen to return. He looked around the room and enjoyed the homey feel of it. It felt welcoming and well loved.

Karen was back just as quickly as she said she would be. She had in her arms 2 big black photo albums. "I'm a bit of a bird guy myself. Bird lady actually." She sat herself down on the couch beside Cas, laying the albums down on the table in front of them. She opened the first one and Cas saw she had photos of a wide variety of birds. They were beautiful photographs and Cas told her as much.

"Thank you." Karen replied with a huge smile. "I don't know much about them, I just like the way they look."

Cas reached out and started flipping through the pages of the album. "These were all taken around here?"

"In this book they were. The other one has pictures from other places Bobby and I have been over the years."

Cas looked towards the other album and was interested in what it would have inside.

"What I want to know is which one of these buggers is messing around in my garden. One of them has been puking up bones all over the yard as well. Now, I don't mind some help with the vermin, it's the mess I don't care for."

Cas saw the serious look on Karens kind face. "I can probably help you out with that, let's take a look."

Dean and Bobby finished up on Castiel's car after around an hour of working on it. They went to head inside and join the other two.

When they got in the house, Karen and Cas were still in the living room looking through her albums. Dean was horror struck thinking Karen was showing him old pictures. He was put at ease when he heard their conversation.

"No, that's a Hooded Merganser." Cas was telling Karen.

"He's a weird one." Karen hummed.

"She actually, the one with the black head is a male." He pointed to a bird further back in the picture. "And yes, they do look strange." Cas smiled when he noticed Dean and Bobby had returned.

"Looks like I'm not the only one working on my day off." Dean said as he looked at the two of them on the couch.

"I don't mind, she's taken a lot of great pictures." Cas replied.

"Bobby, Castiel said it might be a, what did you say it was? The one eating everything?" Karen asked.

"Red tailed hawk, for the bigger bones anyways. It's probably owls eating the smaller prey." Cas told Bobby.

"Well there you go. As long as they stay on pest control around here I don't mind them one bit." Bobby replied.

"You two wash up. I'll get the pie." She closed the album in front of her. "Thank you Castiel. He's a smart one Dean, you should keep him." She said as she walked through the living room towards the kitchen.

Dean and Cas both violently adverted their eyes from one another. Bobby looked between the two of them. "Idjits." He grunted and turned to go wash up.

They ate their pie as Bobby and Dean told Cas about his car. Cas was trying to follow along as best he could.

"So. It is fixed?" Cas asked.

"It's quiet." Dean corrected him. "There's more work that should get done on it, but nothing too urgent."

They finished up their slices and thanked Karen. Bobby and Karen walked the boys to the door and said their goodbyes.

"Thank you for your help today Bobby. It was very good to meet you both." Castiel said to the two of them.

"It was great meeting you Castiel. Come back any time you want." Karen said happily.

Dean and Cas turned to walk back to the car, but Karen reached out and grabbed Deans arm, pulling him back to her. "You bring him back Dean. I like him." She said in a hushed voice.

"Ok Karen, I'll see what I can do." Dean told her and sped up to join Cas.

Dean threw Cas the keys. Cas caught them and looked worried.

"You're sure it's fixed? You don't want to drive?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You drive." Dean opened the passenger door and got inside.

Dean understood right away why Cas wasn't keen on driving. To say he was rusty was an understatement.

Dean laughed every time they came to a stop. Cas couldn't quite seem to get the pressure or timing right. When they finally parked back at the apartment building Dean's stomach hurt from laughing so much.

"That was exciting." He said as he left the car. "I've been on theme park rides that didn't jerk me around that much."

Cas wasn't as embarrassed as he thought he would be. Dean seemed to enjoy his bad driving at least.

"It will get better. Now that I will actually be driving again it should anyways." Cas said unsure of himself. "I can sleep in more in the mornings now that I won't have to worry about catching the bus. Thank you so much again Dean."

They stood together in the parking lot. Neither of them seemed eager to part ways.

Cas started to speak cautiously, "I could get you some lunch if you like? There's a place nearby that has a wonderful lunch menu. To thank you for fixing my car."

"Sounds good to me!" Dean said, relieved that Cas had taken the initiative. He looked towards the Lincoln and back to Cas. "I'll drive. C'mon."

They pulled up to the little diner Cas told Dean about. It was a quaint little place Dean had never been to before. They sat themselves at a small table near the front window and looked through the menus already laid out there. They discussed what they were going to order and chatted while they waited for the server to come see them.

Finally, the diner's only waitress came to their table. She was older than the two of them and a larger woman. She had her face painted on thickly, but also had a warm smile and jolly voice. She set two waters down on the table and pulled a little pad of paper from her apron.

"What will it be boys?" She asked.

"I'll take the BLT special, with extra B." Dean told her.

"Got it. Fries with that?" She asked and Dean nodded.

"And how about you?" She asked Cas.

"I'll have the chicken cordon blue sub please." He said as he put down his menu and placed both his elbows on the table. He folded his hands in front of his mouth and looked up at her.

She smiled at Cas. "Coming right up Blue Eyes." She said as she turned and walked away.

Dean winced.

Cas broke out into a huge smile, partially hidden behind his hands.

Dean hoped he wasn't blushing too hard. He had almost forgotten his slip up from that morning.

"It's Ok." Cas said, unable to stop smiling. "They do tend to draw attention."

Dean made eye contact with Cas and saw how much he was smiling. Dean decided to relax and accept his fate. "They're hard to miss." He managed to say.

They moved on from there painlessly and Dean was glad. He thought he was going to die from embarrassment, but things went back to normal right away.

They dug in as soon as their food arrived. Dean enjoyed how much he was able to make Cas laugh. He started to wonder if they were on a date. He thought they might be, and he couldn't believe how ok he was with that.

Cas picked up the bill when they finished. The waitress looked at the two of them while Cas was paying.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but you two are absolutely adorable."

Cas laughed and Dean felt like he could dig a deep hole and lay in it until he died.

When they were out of ear shot of the waitress Cas turned to Dean and leaned in. "Hear that? We're adorable. We should only use this power for good."

Dean gave Cas a light push on his shoulder. "I agree. It would be a lame move for villain's to have anyways."

They decided to take a quick stroll around the block when they left the diner and Dean mentioned that he wasn't familiar with this part of town. Cas helpfully pointed out places of interest. Dean made a mental list of places Cas seemed to enjoy.

When they came back around to the impala they headed back to their building. They had spent the entire day together. Dean found he couldn't get enough of Cas. He couldn't remember if he had ever felt this way about anyone before. He didn't think he had.

They walked towards the entrance and Benny was holding the door for them.

"You're early." Cas noted.

"Overtime brother." Benny said before he turned to walk into the lot.

"That's Benny. He's another good one. You'll like him." Cas said as they waited for the elevator.

When they got inside Dean noticed Cas had only push the 4. Dean wasn't about to complain about it that was for sure.

Dean followed Cas into his apartment and made himself at home. He was clearly invited in after all. He watched as Cas fed Meg her dinner. He really loved that bird. Dean decided he would try harder to get comfortable with her.

"What's she again? A hand cockaroo?" Dean asked.

Cas chuckled. "Palm Cockatiel."

Dean filed that away for googling later.

Cas walked up to Dean after he finished giving Meg her dish. They were talking, and standing incredibly close. Dean wasn't sure, but he thought this was prime kiss opportunity.

He had never kissed another man before. He was barely listening to what Cas was saying to him. He was watching Castiel's face. Was this something Dean could do? He knew he wanted to, even if it scared him shitless. He finally decided he was going to go for it.

"Dean?" Cas asked. "You aren't listening to me at all are you?"

Dean put his hand out and held Castiel's forearm. He started to lean in and there was a hard knock at the door that made both men jump.

The knock came again, and somehow sounded even more urgent than the first one.

Cas looked disappointed and turned towards the door. Dean released his arm and let him go.

"Are you kidding me?" Dean thought as he watched Cas walk away. He knew it wasn't Castiel's fault, but whoever was on the other side of that door had just made Deans naughty list.

Cas opened the door to see Gadreel standing there.

He closed it quickly and turned to Dean.

"Shit." Cas said to him.

Dean hadn't heard Cas curse before. He knew it had to be bad. The man on the other side of the door banged again.

"Shit." Cas repeated and opened the door.


	11. Chapter 11

Gadreel put his hand out and grabbed the edge of the door to keep Cas from closing it on him again.

"Castiel, please. Talk to me." He begged.

He walked himself inside uninvited. Cas stepped out of the way to let him pass. Gadreel hadn't noticed Dean standing in the living room yet. Dean didn't know what he was supposed to do, but he wasn't about to leave Cas with crazy eyes over there.

"Gadreel. Can we please not do this? Right now at least?" Cas looked warily over to where Dean was standing.

Gadreel turned his eyes over to where Cas had just looked back, and saw Dean standing uncomfortably in the middle of the living room.

"Oh." Gadreel's face fell. "And who might you be?" He asked Dean with a hard edge to his voice.

"This is" Cas started but Dean cut him off as he stepped forwards.

"I got it Cas. I'm Dean Winchester. You must be Gadreel." Dean could feel himself getting tense as he said it.

"Yes, I am Gadreel. What are you doing here so late Dean Winchester? Castiel and I have things to discuss. If you would kindly leave us so we can be alone, that would be much preferred."

"Gadreel, you can't" Cas spoke up, but was once again cut off by Dean.

"I don't think I have to go anywhere. I was invited, which is more than I can say for you." Dean was developing a sharpness to his voice that was making Cas nervous. Why was this happening? Cas thought him and Dean were just getting somewhere Cas had really wanted to go. If Gadreel would only stop trying to force himself into his life they could be there right now.

"I didn't have the chance to be invited Dean. Castiel has been avoiding my calls for weeks now."

"And you couldn't take the hint? You've resorted to stalking him?" Dean took another small step forward.

"Do you really need an attack dog Castiel?" Gadreel threw Dean a sharp look. "You can heel boy, this matter does not concern you."

"If I could just." Cas tried.

"I care about what happens to Cas. If some dick bag is gonna be running around making him uncomfortable you bet your ass it concerns me."

Apparently, Cas realized, he wasn't going to be getting a word in.

Gadreel stopped and looked at Cas. "Is that true Castiel? Do I make you uncomfortable?"

Cas looked between the two men. He waited to make sure it was really his turn to speak. "Yes. No. Gadreel. This is too much. I'm sorry if you're hurt, I didn't mean to do that to you."

"Is he why? Is this man why you wouldn't give me a real chance? We have so much history together Castiel. If you could just find it inside of you to let me in I know I could make you happy. We could build a life together." Gadreel pleaded.

"Wow, you are unbelievable buddy." Dean said with a short angry laugh. "I know Cas is a great guy, but enough is enough man."

Cas looked at Dean. He thought he was a great guy. That was nice to hear. In any other setting he would have been smiling from ear to ear. Right now though things were a little tense to say the least. Gadreel ignored Dean and continued burning a hole through Cas with his eyes.

"Is he why?" He asked in lower, hurt tone.

Cas felt cornered. The room was silent as everyone waited for him to answer.

Cas let out a long sigh and decided to bite the bullet. Worst case he figured he says what his heart told him to and Dean didn't feel the same way. He felt pretty confident that he did, or at least was starting to. His chest was tight with worry that Dean would be frightened off.

"No Gadreel, he's not why. At least." He stopped and looked briefly at Dean before he could go on. Dean was watching him intensely. "At least he wasn't then."

Gadreel looked like his heart had just shattered into a million broken pieces.

Dean's heart began racing where he was standing across the room. Was this really happening?

"And now?" Gadreel asked quietly, his voice thick and seeping with heart ache.

"And now things are different Gadreel. I would like you to leave please." Cas said with a hint of regret in his voice.

"As you wish Castiel." Gadreel turned his eyes to Dean. They were filled with hatred. "Congratulations Dean Winchester." He said as he turned to open the door. Before he stepped out he turned back to Cas, "I will talk to you again Castiel." He said before he slammed the door behind him.

Cas stood where he was, unable to move. He was completely dumbfounded.

"Cas?" Dean asked from the living room. "Cas?"

Castiel turned himself so he was facing Dean. Cas was close to the kitchen counter, there was half a rooms worth of space between the two of them.

"Are you ok Cas?" Dean asked, his voice full of concern. He hoped he hadn't over stepped too badly. He knew he had a little, but Gadreel was making him so angry with the way he was treating Cas. He didn't deserve to feel that way. Not because of anyone. The last thing he wanted to do was add to Cas's problem.

"Yes Dean. I'm ok. I'm sorry you had to be here for that." Cas watched Dean, unable to wipe the worried look from his face. He had just admitted his feelings after being backed into a corner. He was waiting to see if Dean was going to react, or ignore them. Was he going to be weirded out? Cas was never great at social queues. Just because Cas thought they were developing more than a friendship between them didn't mean that he was right.

"Don't be. That guy was a flaming douche."

Cas let out a small laugh. "He wasn't always like this. Just now. It's my fault." Cas closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Dean stepped closer to where Cas was standing. "Are you sure it's not mine?" Dean smiled as he said it, there was humor in his voice.

Cas closed his eyes harder. Here it was. He wasn't sure if he felt excited by the comment or sick. He guessed he was about to find out how it was supposed to be making him feel one way or the other in a second.

Dean watched Cas as his eyes tightened. He remembered how mortified he was when the waitress called Cas Blue Eyes, and knew that had to be how Cas was feeling now. He hadn't exactly been given the chance to say things in his own time. Dean decided if he was going to do something, he was going to do it now. He could put Cas out of his misery.

Dean walked right up to Cas. He still hadn't opened his eyes. "Cas?" He said quietly.

Cas opened his eyes and looked up into Deans.

Dean took his own hand to lower Castiel's away from his face. Instead of letting go he slid their hands together.

Cas raised an eyebrow to him.

"You were right." Dean said, "Things are different now."

He leaned in and kissed him.

It took Cas a second to really absorb what was happening. Dean was worried he had made the wrong call, but then Cas's lips met his more welcomingly. Dean relaxed when he felt Cas respond to him. Dean kissed him again, raising his free hand to Castiel's face. This time Cas didn't miss a beat.

Dean pulled his face away from Castiel to look at him. Cas squeezed Deans hand in his own. They met eyes for a second before Cas looked down. He let out a breath and turned his face back up to Deans. "I was worried." Cas admitted. "I've been having the hardest time figuring out if you felt the same way or not. I knew I was gay, but I wasn't sure about you."

"Neither was I." Dean confessed. He took his hand back from Cas and placed it on Castiel's hip instead. "I figured it out though." He squeezed Cas's waist gently and pulled him back in.

Cas was pretty sure this was what flying felt like.

Their mouths moved together seamlessly. Cas let his own hand rise to Deans waist and pressed himself in closer. Dean's hand wrapped around his back as he did it.

Dean had Cas leaning against the kitchen counter. After a little while he stopped and took a breath. He was smiling down at Cas, who was returning it in kind. Dean ran his hand through the back of Cas's hair and down the back of his neck. He moved his head so their foreheads were touching. Dean let his hand continue running down from Cas's neck, over his shoulder, and down his arm. Their bodies were still pressed together.

Dean felt Cas's pocket buzz.

"I swear if that's Gadreel, I'm gonna hunt him down." Dean said as he stepped back.

Cas laughed and reached into his pocket. He looked at the screen and saw "Mom Calling." There was a picture of her lit up in a small bubble over the number.

"Are you kidding?" Cas said alarmed.

"Is it him?" Dean asked pissed off.

"No. I think. I think he called my mom." Cas looked at Dean in utter disbelief.

The phone stopped buzzing in Castiel's hand while he looked at it.

Dean broke out into a fit of laughter.

"He told on me?" Cas wondered aloud.

"Oh Jeeze." Dean said through his laughter. He reached up to wipe at his eyes. "He knows you're a grown ass man right?"

The phone started buzzing again. His mom was calling back. Cas knew from a lifetime of experience she wasn't going to give up until he answered.

"Apparently it slipped his mind." Cas sighed down at the buzzing phone. The screen went black again as it stopped. "She's going to call again Dean. The woman is nothing if not persistent. I am going to have to answer."

As though saying it made it so, the phone started its buzzing again.

"Ok Blue Eyes, you talk to your mom." Dean didn't feel any of his previous embarrassment using the nick name now. Cas smiled at him as he said it.

"Thank you Dean. Can I call you? It will have to be in the morning." He sighed at his phone. "This is not going to be a brief conversation."

"Please do." Dean said as he leaned in and placed another kiss on Castiel's lips. "Good luck with that." He looked down at the phone just before it faded back to black. It immediately lit back up.

"See ya later Cockaroo!" Dean called into the living room.

Cas rolled his eyes.

"Lock the door ok?" Dean said before he finished closing it.

"Ok Dean." Cas walked over to the closed door and flipped the deadbolt.

Dean heard it from the other side and felt ok about walking away down the hall once that was done.

Dean pulled his own phone out of his pocket. It wasn't too late yet, and he was more awake than he thought he had ever been in his life. He thought about calling Sam and Jess. He wasn't sure yet what he was going to say, if anything. He decided he should gather his thoughts first before he said something. As he came up on his own door, he changed his mind about heading in. It was a nice night, he was going to head out and take a walk. He had so much extra spring in his step he thought that would be a good way to use it.

Cas looked down as his phone lit up for the fifth time. He let out a long breath and pushed the answer call icon on the screen. "Hello Mom." He sighed.

"Castiel." His mother started right in. "What have you done?"

"Nothing. What do you think I've done?"

"I think you have gone ahead and broken a perfectly wonderful young man's heart!" She responded in a way that sounded rehearsed. "What are you thinking Castiel? You and Gadreel would be perfect together. He laid his heart out to you and you stomped on it! And for a very angry, rude man? Really Castiel, I thought we raised you better than this."

Cas knew it was safe to say Dean was the angry, rude man she was referring to.

"Dean is not angry. Or rude. He was just unhappy with Gadreel and his crazy tactics."

"Dean, what kind of a name is Dean." His mother scoffed over the phone.

Cas rolled his eyes and put on a silent death face. His own name was Castiel, she was the last person with a right to insult people for having odd names.

"It's no stranger than Gadreel." Cas countered. He couldn't believe they were arguing over which man had the stranger name. "Did he call you? Is that why you called?"

"You know it is Castiel, don't act like you don't. You are smarter than that. I thought you were at least."

That would have hurt if he wasn't so used to it.

"Is he still there? That man child, Dean." She said with disgust in her voice. "Gadreel told me he was pulling at his leash to get at him. Is this what you are passing up a perfectly good man for? Gadreel has a great job Castiel, he can take care of you, and he's handsome." She sighed. "He comes from a great family. Everybody is so disappointed in you."

Cas regretted ever going out with Gadreel for the millionth time.

"I have a good job. I can take care of myself just fine."

"Yes, birds honey we know. That's really more of a hobby. You would have more time to go play in the woods if you had a real man taking care of you."

Cas took some deep breaths. He thought back to that afternoon with Dean's aunt. She didn't treat him like he was just a kid with a weird hobby. She was kind and interested in what Cas could teach her. He suddenly felt himself missing her and wishing he was back there.

"Is dad around?" Cas decided to ask. Switching up parents on the phone would do him some good.

"No darling, we aren't going to trouble your father with this. You know how his heart is."

Or maybe it's because dad actually likes me, Cas thought sourly.

"And what does this 'Dean' do?" Cas caught the end of whatever his mother had been saying.

"He's a mechanic. I would rather not do this right now. I just had a wonderful day with 'Dean'" He said it in the same edgy tone she had used, "And a very unsettling run in with Gadreel. I am tired."

"A MECHANIC!" She sounded like he had just told her he was a hobo. "Really Castiel, Really. My boy, with a mechanic?"

"Yes, really." Cas was losing his patience with her.

"Well, I never." She muttered.

"I have to go. Say hi to Dad for me. Talk soon." Cas said as he ended the call.

He pushed down the button on the side so that no more calls could go through for a while at least. He walked into his living room and took Meg out of her cage.

He laid himself back on the couch with her on his hand. He set her down on his chest and she stood there with him. She walked around in few circles on him while he watched her. Eventually she settled herself down and stared at her owners face.

Cas ran his hand over her head in a way he knew she enjoyed.

"You like Dean don't you Meg?"

The bird didn't answer him. She just cocked her head.

"Well you will." He continued. "He's great. Did you see? He kissed me. We kissed. I kissed Dean. It was amazing." He sighed and Meg lowered slowly with his chest.

"Now, if my mother could not be such a bitch about it."

"Bitch" Meg repeated.

Cas started laughing at his bird. She didn't enjoy the sudden rising and falling of his chest at all.

Cas put her back on his hand and sat up. "Thanks Meg, I needed that." He put her back inside the cage.

He decided to jump in the shower before he headed to bed. It had been a long, eventful day.

He stood under the hot water and his mind turned back to him and Dean in the kitchen. Their bodies pressed together and the way their mouths already seemed to understand one another. He looked down and saw his body was responding to the memory. He couldn't help it. He smiled.

He didn't care that Dean was a 'mechanic', he liked that about him. He liked that he was kind, and funny. He cared about Cas, he heard him say as much earlier. He had a wonderful, welcoming family that was already accepting Cas with open arms.

Cas decided he wouldn't let his mother get to him. He was going to continue seeing Dean. He couldn't wait to in fact.

As he climbed into bed he had a hundred things he could have thought about, but he chose Dean.


	12. Chapter 12

Dean was walking aimlessly around the side streets. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care. He had so much energy. He kissed Cas, and Cas kissed him back. He finally made his move and it was well received. He was over the moon.

Dean had known for a long time that he was gay. It wasn't until recently that he had let himself accept the fact. He was embarrassed. He felt ashamed in himself, like being the man of his family meant he was supposed to have the same traits as his father had. John had been a ladies man, there was no denying it. He and Sam had a half-brother Adam out there that only further proved the point.

Dean had tried the straight thing. He would work himself up and drink until he knew he could get it done. Even during the act he found himself thinking about the things he had watched on Sam's computer to finish the job. He wasn't an idiot, he didn't use his own computer. Somebody might know what he was looking at.

Dean wondered how his brother was going to react to the news. He knew he would have to tell him. He thought Sam would be ok with it. His brother loved him, and wanted him to live his life however Dean felt most comfortable. He didn't know if this was what he had in mind, but he didn't feel the same fear he had before over it.

As Dean walked lost in his own thoughts, he came up to a bar.

He saw the sign on the front read "The Roadhouse." He didn't have anything else to do, so he decided to check it out.

It was a small dive bar, he saw as he walked in. Everything was old and the place smelled like it had been open for a long, long time. Dean loved it.

Dean walked up to the bar. As he leaned over to look for the bartender, he heard a voice come from beside him, "Dean?"

He turned to see the weird red head, Charlie. Cas said she was cool, and Dean believed him.

"Your Majesty, How do you do?" He asked her smiling and turning his body to face her.

"At ease soldier. I'm good. How are you doing? Is Cas here?" She asked looking around him.

"No, he's at home on the phone with his mother." Dean told her.

"Oh, poor guy." She said and took in a sharp breath. She let it out slowly. "But, you do know where he is?" Charlie asked raising an eyebrow.

Dean was in too good a mood to care. "Yes I do." He laughed. "What are you doing out here in a place like this?"

"This is where everybody goes." Charlie held up a hand as Dean looked around the room.

He recognized a lot of people from the building. It made sense, it didn't take him long to walk here after all.

"And, they got a new waitress." Charlie gave Dean a sly look as she turned to look at the tall, lean brunette with the very short skirt. She was bending over to put drinks down for some guests.

Dean laughed. "I see. Not my type. Guessing she's yours though."

Charlie looked at Dean and smiled so hard Dean thought he may have started to love her.

"Yes. She. Is." Charlie said as the waitress turned to walk back behind the bar.

"She's probably pretty close to yours too." Charlie said to Dean just before the waitress came up to them.

The new waitress leaned over the bar, presenting her ample chest to Dean. "What can I get you?" she asked.

Dean noticed the shocking blue eyes right away. He looked over to Charlie and laughed. "Ok, maybe a little. Whisky."

The waitress turned to pour his drink.

"Wrong bits hey?" Charlie whispered.

"Yeah, Charlie, wrong bits." Dean said as he took his drink from the waitress. He shook his head.

"Well, better for me." Charlie said grabbing her own drink from the bar.

"So really, what are you doing out? Don't you have school or something?" Dean asked Charlie when she came out of her waitress trance.

"No, I'm a prodigy. It'll take too long to explain, but trust me, I'm a genius." Charlie told him casually.

Dean laughed. The girl was funny.

"A prodigy and a queen? Must be good to be you red." Dean said as he polished off his drink.

"Damn straight it is." Charlie said raising her glass. "How about you tough guy? What are you doing here instead of canoodling the neighbor?"

"I told you, his mom called." Dean said to her. "She called like, 4 times in a row."

"Yep. Sounds about right." Charlie said as she excitedly signaled the waitress for new drinks.

"Should I be worried?" He asked her, not getting the attention from her he would have liked.

"Hello gorgeous. Two more please." Charlie said dopily to the waitress.

"Charlie?" Dean tried to get her attention back. Once the drinks were set down in front of them Charlie turned her focus back to Dean.

"Worried? I wouldn't say worried. Concerned maybe. Are those the same?" Charlie wondered aloud as she took a drink.

"Close enough." Dean said. "Why do you think that?"

"I met her once, outside. She was not awesome." Charlie paused to think. "Mean." Charlie had a reminiscent look on her face. She shuddered.

"Good to know." Dean said and took a long drink.

"Anyways, Cas will be fine. It's his mother, he's got this." Charlie said reassuringly.

"I hope so." Dean said more quietly.

"He's fine Dean. Look at you momma bear." Charlie nudged Dean on his stool.

"Shut up Charlie." Dean laughed as he took another drink.

Once Charlie had finally gripped the attention of her waitress, Dean decided to call it a night. He said goodbye and laid more money on the bar than was necessary to cover Charlie's drinks as well. He gave her a small nod and wink before he left.

As he walked back towards the apartment he thought about Cas. He had a mean mom. Ok, Dean could deal with that. He wondered what the rest of Cas's family was like. He didn't have pictures around his place to give Dean any ideas.

His mind turned to earlier when Cas and Karen were sitting on the couch together looking at birds. They really hit it off. That was good. Karen had always been like a mother to Dean and Sam. She and Bobby were always so good to them growing up. Weeks spent with Uncle Bobby and Aunt Karen were always the most fun.

He thought about calling Cas, but it was late. He would talk to him in the morning.

Cas woke up late the next day. It was way brighter in his bedroom than it should have been. He quickly leaned over to his bedside table to grab his phone. He forgot to turn it back on again last night. Damn it.

He held the button down as it came back to life. After a minute his notifications started coming through. 3 missed calls from mom, immediately after they stopped talking. Normal. 1 missed Call from Gadreel, 1am. Unfortunately, also normal. And 2 missed Calls from Dean, time stamped for 9:45am and 10:45am that morning.

Cas looked at the time and saw it was only 11. He pushed the call back icon by Dean's name and cleared his throat. The phone rang twice before Dean answered.

"I was starting to think I'd have to come up there and scan for bodies." Dean said as the call picked up.

"No, that won't be necessary." Cas cleared his throat again. His voice was normally deep but first thing in the morning it was almost inaudible. "I forgot to turn my phone back on. I just woke up."

"It sounds like it. Good morning."

"Good morning Dean." Cas smiled and pressed the phone closer to his ear.

"I should let you wake up. I can put coffee on if you want to come down?"

"That would be good. Let me shower and I will see you soon."

They ended the call and Cas fell back into bed and his head hit his pillow. He looked at his phone and deleted the other missed calls. He left the two from Dean. He got up and jumped in the shower. He had a feeling it was going to be a good Sunday.

Once he had showered and shaved, Cas dressed himself and headed down to Deans.

He knocked on the door and Dean called "It's open." from inside. Cas let himself in.

He looked around the apartment and didn't see Dean anywhere.

"Dean?" Cas called out.

"In here, one sec." Dean called back from the spare room.

Cas decided to walk over and see what he was doing. He looked through the door into the small room and Dean was just finishing placing a small shelf in the corner. Other than the shelf, the room was still bare.

"Hello Dean." Cas said from the doorway.

"Hello." Dean responded, his face breaking in to a smile. "This room still needs some work. Don't think just a shelf is going to cut it. C'mon, coffees on."

Dean brushed past Cas and walked into the kitchen. Cas followed him.

"What do you take?" Dean asked while he poured two cups of coffee.

"Just cream." Cas told him.

Dean stopped and looked at Cas. "How's milk?" He made a mental note to start picking up coffee creamer at the store.

"Milk is fine. Thank you." Cas said and Dean finished making their drinks.

Dean handed Cas the mug. Cas noticed that all of Deans cups were mismatched. They were in various states of repair, different colors, and different sizes. He found it endearing.

They were quiet together for a little while. Neither seemed to know where to start after last night. Eventually Cas asked Dean how the rest of his night had been?

"Good." Dean said. "I went for a walk, I wasn't exactly tired when I left your place." Dean smiled at Cas. "Found a place called The Roadhouse? I'm guessing you know it?"

"Yes, that's where everybody goes." Cas said eerily close to the way Charlie had.

"I ran into Charlie there. You're right, she's awesome." Dean started to head into the living room and sat himself down on the couch. He lowered his mug to the coffee table and patted the cushion beside him. "C'mon, stay awhile."

Cas sat himself down beside Dean. "I knew you would like her." He said as he settled in.

Dean wondered if he should let Cas know that Charlie knew about them. He decided it could wait.

"How was the rest of your night?" He decided to ask instead. He was cautious as he said it knowing what he knew now about Castiel's mother.

"Oh. You know. It was ok." Cas looked at the worried face Dean was wearing. "My mother can be a handful. You look like you know that already. Charlie?"

"Yeah, Charlie." Dean admitted.

"Of course. They didn't get along well at all. Don't worry Dean. She's a lot to deal with, but I have experience." Cas looked at Dean and tried to give him a reassuring look.

"Ok, if you say so. When do I get to meet her?" Dean asked.

Cas suddenly started laughing. He already wanted to meet his family? Were things moving too quickly?

"I wouldn't be in any rush if I were you Dean. To say she can be unpleasant is an understatement."

"Everybody loves me. It'll be fine." Dean said with a big overconfident smile.

Cas thought of the way his mother nearly shrieked when she found out Dean was a mechanic. Dean looked happy though, so he wasn't about to mention it.

"Well, I will eventually die, and she might attend my funeral. You can meet her then."

Dean pushed Cas's shoulder. "I don't think so buddy, I can wait. Just, not that long. Besides, you've already met almost everyone in my family, let's be fair."

Cas sighed. "Ok, one day, you can meet them. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Dean looked towards Cas and thought he was a little more put off by the idea than Dean would have liked. "Are they really that bad? If they are where the heck did you come from?"

Cas smiled at the compliment. "No, it's really just my mother who can be terrible. My father and brother are very nice people. Most of the time anyways."

He had a brother. They were getting somewhere.

"You've got a brother?" Dean asked him.

"Yes, Gabriel. He got the better angel." Cas laughed. "He's older than I am. I think mother may dislike him even more than she does me. He can be," he searched for the word, "funny. He thinks so at least." Cas was smiling thinking about his brother.

Ok, good. They weren't all bad. Dean relaxed.

"You don't have any pictures in your place. I thought maybe you were an orphan like me." Dean said in a way that showed it didn't upset him.

"Your parents are gone? I'm sorry Dean." Cas said sadly.

"Our mom died when we were little. She was great though, I wish Sammy had a chance to know her. Dad was around for a long time. He got cancer a few years ago and it took him out. wen't down fighting. It's ok. We still have Bobby and Karen. It's not like I don't have family around."

"You do have a great family. I like them a lot." Cas smiled at Dean in a way that made his heart melt.

"Yes I do." Dean set down his mug. "What should we get up to? Or are you already sick of me?"

"No Dean, not at all."

They decided to head out for a walk and see where the day carried them. When they were leaving the apartment they saw Charlie heading back towards the doors from the parking lot. She was wearing the same clothes as she was last night Dean noticed. Things must have gone well with the waitress.

Charlie smiled at Dean holding the door for her. "Good night?" Dean asked her knowingly.

"Great night." Charlie responded. "Very bendy."

Dean laughed at her. "Where are you two lovebirds going?" She asked the guys.

Cas looked at Dean and narrowed his eyes.

"Just for a walk. Get out of here." Dean said to her jokingly.

Charlie looked between the two of them and rolled her eyes. She walked inside.

"Adios Bitches." She said with a wave.

When the door closed Dean looked at Cas.

"I may have mentioned us to Charlie. She guessed really, I didn't correct her." Dean hoped Cas wasn't upset with him.

"She can be very intuitive." Cas told him, clearly not worried about Charlie knowing what was up.

"Ok good, you aren't mad." Dean said as he grabbed Cas by the shoulders and held him in front of him. He left his hands where they were and looked at Castiel's face, just double checking that he really was ok with it.

Cas laughed. He liked having Dean's hands on him. "No Dean. You will have to try a lot harder than that to make me mad."

Dean lowered his hands and looked around the lot. It was another beautiful day. It was getting hot out, and he wondered if them walking around in the heat was such a good plan. An idea hit him and he decided to ask Cas about it.

"You're a bird guy." Dean started.

"Ornithologist." Cas corrected, wondering where Dean was going with this.

"Yeah, that. Anyways, you must know some good parks. I came out here a lot as a kid, so I've been to a few. It's been awhile."

Cas brightened at the suggestion.

"Yes, I think it's safe to say I know them all. I left my keys upstairs, you will have to drive." Cas feigned regret.

"I guess so." Dean said as they turned to walk to the impala.


	13. Chapter 13

Dean found a parking spot in the shade when they got to the park Cas had directed him to.

"Jackpot." He said as he turned off the car.

"This is my favorite park." Cas told Dean. "It's less busy than the others. There are black throated warb…" Cas stopped and looked at Dean. "There are birds here." He finished.

"In the woods? You don't say." Dean teased.

Cas rolled his eyes. "I thought I would spare you your eyes glazing over while I listed them."

Dean laughed. "Thanks, but you're kinda cute when you talk nonsense to me. I don't mind hearing about." Dean tried to think of birds he knew. "Blue jays, and … flamingos."

"We won't find any flamingos here, I am sorry to disappoint you." Cas said seriously, a smile playing at his lips.

"We won't if we don't look." Dean grinned and got out of the car.

Dean followed Cas as they hiked through the park. He was glad they had stopped to grabbed water and have a couple sandwiches before they headed out. Cas knew exactly where he was going, so Dean just followed along.

They eventually came to a small clearing surrounding a small body of water. It hadn't taken them too long to get there. "This is it." Cas said to Dean, "My favorite spot."

They walked down closer to the water and sat down together. Dean looked around the area. It was beautiful. The only sounds were nature around them. It was incredibly peaceful.

"Watch this." Cas said to Dean, and he let out a practiced whistle.

5 small birds landed in a tree nearby and sang back to them.

"Wow. Way to go Snow White." Dean let out a whistle himself. The birds all flew away at the sound. "How'd I do?" Dean asked.

"Poorly I'm afraid." Cas told him, but he was smiling as he said it.

"Ah well, can't win 'em all." Dean sighed.

Cas was looking out at the water, and Dean was looking at Cas. He glanced downwards and saw how close their hands were. Dean decided to close the gap. Cas took Deans hand in his own easily. He turned to face him. He didn't know what to say, so he just watched Dean.

"Not many people know about this place?" Dean asked.

"I haven't run into anyone else here before, so I don't think so." Cas responded.

"Good." Dean said and leaned over to kiss him.

He graciously accepted the advancement. Dean was more confident today he noticed, as their mouths began to part.

Dean moved further in, and Cas let him come as close as he wanted to. It wasn't long before Dean had moved him so he was laying down on the ground with Dean hovering above of him.

Dean was kissing him hungrily, and bit softly at Castiel's lower lip. Dean could feel Cas's mouth part into a smile when he did it. He adjusted himself so he was laying almost completely against Cas. He raised himself higher onto his elbows and looked down at the other man's face. "What?" He asked, matching the smile Cas was wearing.

"You're sure you haven't done this before?" Cas asked.

Dean looked into Castiel's eyes. They were so blue, he didn't think he would ever get tired of looking at them. "Not like this." Dean said as he went in to kiss Cas's neck.

Dean could tell Cas liked it immediately, so he didn't stop. He moved between his neck and jaw line laying kisses all along the path he took.

Cas let out a small sound that told Dean he was doing a good job. Cas put his hands up towards Dean, wrapping one around his waist and the other curling around the back of Deans head. His hand running through the hair there.

Dean took that as his invitation to touch Cas back. He was more than eager to. He ran his hand down Cas's chest and further down his side until it landed on his hip. He held it for a little while, gently pressing his hand into him, bringing them closer together. Dean ran his hand back up lifting Castiel's shirt slightly. He felt the skin there and found himself appreciating Cas's strong build. Dean let out a small moan as he traced his hand further along Cas's bared skin.

Cas purposefully knocked Dean off the elbow he was steadying himself on. He caught Dean and quickly pulled him so he was laying more directly on top of him. Dean wrapped his newly free arm around the back of Cas's head and started kissing him on the mouth again. Cas ran his own hand down Deans back until it met his other hand. He parted them to hold Deans waist.

Dean couldn't help himself. They were pressed together, and his pants were getting tight. He moved his hips forward against Cas and it felt so good. Better than it ever had before, and he was still wearing his clothes. He felt himself getting harder thinking of a time in the future when they wouldn't be. The hand he had on Cas's side gripped tighter and he pushed himself towards him again.

Dean moaned. He took the hand he had on Cas's hip and let it travel further under Cas's shirt. He felt the muscles there react to his touch. He slowly lowered it until it was playing near the top of Cas's pants. He ran his hand further down over top of Cas's own erection and heard him moan into Deans ear. Dean was not disappointed with what he felt there. As he pressed himself into Cas again he heard a branch snap from somewhere around them.

Dean's head shot up and he looked around. He saw rustling not far from them and sighed. He rolled over so he was laid beside Cas at a respectful distance. Cas turned his head up from where he was and looked over to where the noise had come from. They could hear voices now. He let out a sigh that matched Deans perfectly.

Dean turned his head to face Cas. "You're awesome." He managed to say after a few seconds.

Cas laughed. "So are you Dean. You have some…there" He pointed to Dean's side, which was covered in dirt and small twigs.

"So do you." Dean said as he reached out to shake some of the foliage from Cas's hair.

Cas sat up and ran his fingers through it himself so he didn't look like a crazy person. Dean sat up as well and started brushing off his sides and back.

They heard children laughing and screaming as they ran down to the water. They turned back and saw the man that must have been their father. He had a large back pack on and a goofy hat.

"Howdy Fellas!" The dad called to them as he waved. "Sorry to barge in on ya. The kids love this place!" He smiled down at the three children splashing each other in the water.

"No problem." Dean called back. "We were just heading out."

He looked at Cas, and then down at his own pants. "In a minute." He said so only Cas could hear.

They made their way back to the impala. Dean could hardly believe how easy it was for him to be around Cas. There was no awkwardness about what had just happened between them. They talked and laughed together naturally. They pulled into the apartment building and Dean parked his baby.

"That was fun. We should do that again." Dean said as they stepped out of the car.

"Yes we should." Cas agreed. "I may need to find a new favorite place though. Mine has been infiltrated by children."

"I'll help you look." Dean said as he reached to grab Cas's hand. They were alone in the parking lot, so it didn't feel awkward at all.

Cas sighed. "I have a ton of paperwork to finish sorting through. I have meetings all week about that stupid parking lot. For a strip mall it turns out. A strip mall? On a nature reserve?"

Dean could tell Cas hated everything about whatever the heck he was talking about.

"Those animals!" Dean said. "The people I mean, not the actual, you know, animals."

Cas laughed and started back up from where he was before he remembered the mall proposal.

"Yes, they are horrible people. I will probably be home late most of the week. They are trying to get passed us by scheduling the meetings as late as they can." Cas said, clearly annoyed by it.

"Well that sucks." Dean said simply. "But, I guess you gotta do what ya gotta do. Maybe I'll pull some overtime at the shop if you won't be around anyways."

"There are other things you could do." Cas said to Dean with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, but nothing else I want to." Dean gave Cas a quick peck on the cheek.

Cas smiled at that. He couldn't believe how hard he was falling for this man.

As they got into the elevator, Dean pushed the 3 and 4. He got out on his floor and turned to Cas. "Fight the good fight! I'll call you."

"Ok." Cas said as the door began closing. "Goodnight Dean."

"Good night Cas." Dean said after the door had already closed.

Dean went inside. He walked around for a bit, unable to stop thinking about earlier. He was all amped up over it. Things were going well with Cas. Really well. Dean could hardly remember the last time he felt this happy.

He finally found himself laying on the couch. He needed to settle down and he knew it. He had to work in the morning after all, he couldn't pace around all night. He looked towards his TV and realized he still hadn't called the cable company. His phones data bill was going to be outrageous. He had only been using his phone for the internet lately and his laptop was sitting beneath the coffee table gathering dust. "I'll call tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow." He told himself yet again. He didn't find he was too worried about it. He had been distracted this last week after all.

With that thought his mind turned immediately back to Cas.

He wondered what it was going to be like. Later, when they had a chance to really be alone. He'd had lots of sex before, but they were always women. That was a pretty straight forward routine, he had that already figured out. He had studied up on what he really wanted to do plenty growing up, but doing it? He didn't know what that was going to be like. Based on the way he felt with Castiel today, he thought it was going to be completely different. Completely better.

He had never let himself consider it before. He always shoved the thought to the back of his mind like it was a dirty, nasty thing.

Dean was a confident man. He knew he was attractive, and he wasn't shy about it. He could play the part of hot young stud in the bars like a pro. When he would finally drink up enough courage to take somebody home, he just kept playing the role. It never felt real to him. Like an actor on a stage, playing the overtly masculine man. Now, he found, he was nervous.

He put both hands to his face and covered his eyes. He ran his hands back through his hair pulled at it. He was relieved when his phone rang to pull him away from his own thoughts. He picked it up out of his pocket and saw it was Jess calling.

"Shit." He muttered. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to her, he really did. He said he would call her and let her know what was going on. He wanted to call a few times, but he hadn't decided what he was going to say yet, so he avoided it all together. He answered the call.

"Hey Jessy!" He started, hoping that the pet name and chipper voice would keep her from being pissed at him for forgetting to call.

"Dean Winchester." She started

Uh Oh.

"You said you were going to call."

"I know, I just." He ran his hand back through his hair. "I've been busy."

He could hear the sound of the truck running on her end. She must be out.

"Well, I guess I can understand that." She said, easing off. "I don't have long to talk anyways. I just wanted to call and see if you would be up for Sam and me coming out next week? Sam has a few extra days off of work with the long weekend, and some corporate thing he doesn't have to be there for."

"Yeah! That sounds awesome. I'll get a bed in the spare room for you guys if you want to stay here?" Dean was relieved. Not only did he get to see his brother and Jess, but it gave him more time to think of what he was going to say to them. He would be able to do it in person. That was terrifying of course, but he thought it was better.

"Ok cool. We won't be there until Sunday. I hope that works out. I know you work during the week." Jess said, sounding unsure about if that was going to be ok.

"I'm planning on pulling some overtime this week anyways. I don't think Bobby will mind me taking a day or two." Dean said, putting her mind at ease.

"Over time? Is everything alright?" She asked him.

"Everything is really alright Jess." Dean laughed, she didn't know the half of it. "I'll tell you guys all about it when you're here."

"Ok. Well great. Sam will be glad. He should be coming out of the grocery store any second here. I wasn't about to lug my big fat self around in there and carry anything. Speak of the Devil." She said, and Dean could hear the trucks door open on their end.

"Who is it?" Sam asked Jess in the background.

"Dean." She told him.

"Heya Dean! We coming to see you or what?" Sam called out.

"Yes Hun, he said it was fine." Jess told Sam, her voice a little further away from the speaker. "Dean? I gotta go. I'll talk to you soon K? Don't work too hard."

"Say hi to Sam for me. See ya." Dean said as they ended the call.

Awesome. He had more time to think now before he had to let them know what was going on with him. He needed more time to figure it all out himself anyways. He had lots of things to figure out. He sighed and looked towards the TV. He could start with something easy like the cable, he would tackle the harder stuff next.

He pulled himself up from the couch. It was getting dark in the apartment, he hadn't turned on any lights since he got home. He stood up and turned on the living rooms overhead light.

That was better.

He looked down at his arm and saw that he still had some dirt smudged there. He checked out his shirt and it was still a bit dusty. His heart started pulling inside his chest. He was so happy, and he loved these small reminders of their day together. He gently ran his hand over the dirt on his arm. As much as it pained him, he knew he had better get in the shower.

He pulled his shirt up over his head, and was greeted by the smell of pine and dirt as it passed over his face. He felt weird, but he held his crumpled shirt back up to his nose. This had to be the best thing he had ever smelled. Memories were washing over him. He relived how wonderful it felt being so close together. He could hear in his mind the small moan Cas had let out when he touched him. He remembered how Cas's skin was soft, but his body was firm. And the way he felt pressed up against him. That was heaven.

Dean stepped under the water and let his mind go. He allowed himself to reach down and touch what he had there. He didn't feel guilty about it anymore, and that felt almost as good.


	14. Chapter 14

Dean went in to the yard early the next day. He found Bobby first thing and told him about Sam and Jess coming to visit. Bobby was more than happy with Dean doing some overtime and gave him the days off he wanted. He seemed to brighten slightly at the mention of Sam coming back to visit, as much as Bobby could brighten anyways.

With that all settled and out of the way, Dean plugged away at the different cars that rolled through until quitting time.

"You gonna be in early again kid?" Bobby asked Dean as he walked towards the impala.

"I'll be up with the birds Bobby. See ya then." He called back as he closed the heavy impala door.

The drive home was faster than usual. The roads were clear of the normal after work traffic. When he got home to the building he saw that Cas's car wasn't there. He must be really swamped. He pulled out his phone in the dying light and decided to send him a text.

Dean: You still working?

Cas: Unfortunately

Dean: Damn

Cas: I just left my meeting. I have a bunch of paperwork to put away and then I'll be heading home soon. Unless they find another reason to make me stay.

Dean: Sneak out.

Cas: I can't do that Dean.

Dean: It was worth a shot. You finish saving the world. I'm tired and hungry.

Cas: I will get to the world when I finish saving this reserve. Have a good night Dean.

Dean: You too Cas.

So he wasn't going to be seeing him tonight. That was a bummer. He decided to call the cable company as he walked upstairs. Dean had a feeling he would be wanting to watch TV this week to pass the time.

Castiel finally got into the parking lot at 9:30. He looked up through his windshield and saw it was dark in Dean's apartment. There was only the blue glow of the TV. That was ok. He was exhausted and knew he had to get up and do it all again tomorrow. He couldn't wait for this whole ordeal to be over with so he could get back to the much better parts of his job. He would like to see Dean, but it would have to wait.

He walked drowsily into his apartment and fed Meg her dinner. He didn't spend any time visiting her. He felt guilty about it, but he was so tired. He thought about eating, but the call of his bed was too strong. He walked into his room, took off his clothes, and was asleep before he hit the sheets.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Dean couldn't stand not seeing Cas anymore. They had sent a few texts back and forth seeing how the other was doing, but that wasn't good enough. Dean was thrilled when he came home and saw that Cas was already back from work.

"Finally." He sighed and hurried out of the car. He skipped stopping at home, even though he still smelled like an auto shop. He knocked on Cas's door and waited patiently for him to answer.

Cas opened the door a crack and peeked out. He was holding his phone to his ear and listening to whoever was on the other end going on and on. Castiels face lit up as he waved Dean in.

"Sorry." Cas silently mouthed to Dean and pointed at his phone.

"No Crowley, I don't care about how reasonably priced their jeans are." He looked at Dean and rolled his eyes. He listened for a while longer and started again. "Mine? They're." Cas looked down at his pants and looked for something to indicate the brand. "Wait. No. We aren't talking about my pants." He shook his head. "Listen, the land is protected. There is other land that is actually for sale."

Dean sat himself down at Cas's table and watched him. Documents were spread out over half of the space there. He picked one up to check it out, but it may as well have been written in Latin.

"You can throw contracts at me all day, it isn't going to change anything." Cas sat down across the table from Dean and put his head in his hand. Dean saw how fed up and tired Cas looked. He felt bad for him, he wanted to do something to help, but this was clearly out of his skill set.

"Ok.", "Alright.", "Definitely not." Cas was looking at Dean apologetically.

"I'll be there. Goodbye." Cas ended the call quickly as to keep the conversation from continuing.

"Sorry." Cas said aloud this time. He took a deep cleansing breath. "Hello Dean."

"Hi." Dean smiled at Cas. He found he was still handsome when he was tired and ticked off. "I saw you were home already. I didn't think you would be working. Sorry to interrupt."

"I don't mind. I'm glad to see you. I was missing you." He looked down at the paper work on the table. "I am getting really tired of looking at these."

"I only saw one and I'm tired of looking at them. We could burn them and say the apartment caught fire." Dean said seriously.

Cas laughed. "That would only get me new copies and a day behind."

"Oh. Well. Crap." Dean said. "Is work always like this?"

"No. It's usually much better. Things like this don't happen often." Cas reached down and grabbed the bag he carried his paperwork in. He pulled out a file and handed it to Dean.

Dean took it and opened it up. He saw topographical maps of the parks with little notes written in Cas's scrawl. He flipped through the pages and saw pictures of birds and long passages hand written beside them. He didn't understand what any of it meant, but he could tell between looking at this file and the paperwork on the table, this was what Cas liked working on way more. He kept looking through the pages and saw there were more maps of other cities and towns. He looked to Cas.

"Why do you have maps outside of Sioux Falls?"

"I work for the State. With the different districts and universities, doing research. I travel sometimes, but they have cameras all around and a bunch of us work together, so I don't have to go too often anymore." Cas was surprised he hadn't actually mentioned what he does to Dean yet. He had really just scraped the surface.

Dean closed the folder and handed it back to Cas. "That sounds complicated."

"It can be. I like it anyways." Cas said as he reached up to rub at his eyes. He was tired. He wanted this week to be over already.

"Does that mean you have Monday off next week?" Dean perked up suddenly as he asked.

"Does what?" Cas didn't know what Dean was talking about. "Why would I? Oh, yeah." It was almost Memorial Day. "I guess I do."

"Awesome. Sam and Jess are gonna come out on Sunday. I know they'll wanna see you."

"Oh. That's great." Cas was having a hard time focusing. "Do they know? About us I mean."

That's right. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Cas in the last few days. They hadn't exactly discussed what their relationship was.

"Uh. No. I. No. They don't." Dean felt guilty about it, like he was hiding it on purpose.

"Are we going to tell them?" Cas asked through a yawn. "Excuse me. I'm sorry Dean. I haven't been sleeping much."

"It's alright. You look beat." Dean paused. "And yeah, I was gonna tell them when they got here. They don't exactly know that I'm, you know."

"Gay?" Cas laughed.

"That's it yeah." Dean smiled at the sound of Cas laughing.

"I think they will be fine with it. I don't know them well, but they seem like the accepting type." Cas told Dean sincerely, trying not to sound tired while he spoke. He knew from experience how coming out was, and he didn't want Dean to think he wasn't interested in what he was saying.

"Yeah, I think your" Dean started.

Castiel's phone started vibrating across the table.

"Right. Work?"

Cas picked up the phone and squeezed it in his hand. He clenched his eyes shut and slowly lifted the phone to his forehead. He bumped it there a few times in frustration.

"Your Mom?" Dean guessed again.

Cas lowered his phone and shook his head.

"Gadreel?" Dean tried, knowing he would be right.

"Yes. I tried to block his calls, but he just started trying from another number. At least this way I know it's him" Cas looked at the phone. "I would like to throw this thing away."

Dean looked at Cas and wanted to help him. He looked so done with everything. He stood up and walked over to Cas's half of the table. He took the phone from his hand and tossed it on the couch.

"There. That's better." Dean said and moved to stand behind Cas. He reached up putting his hands on his shoulders and started to work on them. The muscles there were very tight. Cas lowered his head and let Dean continue what he was doing.

"Mmmm. Thank you Dean." Cas said with a sigh as he started to relax.

"Am I hurting you?" Dean asked, he didn't really know what he was doing. He knew what he thought felt good on him and was just trying to mimic that.

"No. That feels very nice." Cas rolled his head from side to side.

"You're pretty built, for an orn…ee?" Dean tried.

"Ornithologist." Cas laughed. "It's ok if you call me a bird guy."

"No, I'll get it. Shut up." Dean played it off. "But yeah, doesn't seem like the most physical job."

Cas was glad Dean was behind him. He thought he may be blushing.

"I do a lot of field work. Not really at work. I'm usually out researching in my spare time. It can be challenging so I stay in shape."

"You work when you're not working? Is there something wrong with you?" Dean couldn't believe somebody would want to use their brain all day and then go home and do it again.

"You fix your own car don't you?" Cas asked

"Well, yeah but that's different." Dean countered.

"Not really." Cas sighed as Dean rubbed an especially tight muscle lower in his back. "I'm doing research for my dissertation."

"What?" Dean's hands stopped.

Cas turned his head to look up at him. "For my Ph.D."

"Oh." Dean laid his hands back down on Cas's shoulders.

Dean's mind was racing. His Ph.D.? Was Cas a genius, while Dean couldn't even remember what he does for a living?

Cas put his hand up to meet Deans. "What?" He turned to look up at him.

"Your Ph.D.?" Dean asked.

"Yes." Cas said slowly.

"Ok, give it to me straight." Dean wasn't sure why he felt worried. "How smart are you?"

Cas laughed and stood up to face Dean. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Um. Yeah. Ok." Dean liked the sound of that. He thought he would have to leave right away with all the work Cas clearly had to finish.

Cas went into the fridge and pulled out 2 beers. He handed one to Dean. "I don't usually drink on week days. But," He sighed and looked back at the table. "It won't hurt."

Dean noticed how gracefully Cas managed to skirt around his question.

"Good try. Really? Your Ph.D.?" Dean asked as he opened his beer.

"Yes, really. I guess you can say I'm pretty smart. I thought that was obvious." Cas tried for the joke.

"So compared to say me?" Dean asked unsure about even saying it out loud.

"Oh." Cas paused. "Dean. Is that why you're being so weird about it?" Cas looked at Dean seriously.

"I'm not being weird. You were secretly brilliant this whole time, and I've been calling you a bird guy."

"I am a bird guy." Cas was starting to feel concerned about where this was going. He didn't bother mentioning his dissertation to Dean because it wasn't something that came up naturally in their conversations. He wasn't hiding it.

"You know what I mean." Dean said more annoyed than he meant to.

"I wasn't being 'secretly brilliant'. I'm not even normally brilliant. I'm well educated in specific fields." Cas tried not to get his back up too much. "Are you mad at me for it?"

"No." Dean wasn't sure why he was so worked up over it. Cas had seemed like such a normal, nerdy guy before he knew this about him. He looked at Cas and saw that he looked confused.

"I don't know. It's kind of intimidating I guess." Dean finished.

Cas looked at Dean and knew that he meant what he was saying. "It shouldn't be." He said simply.

"It is anyways." Dean smiled at Cas. He was still really good looking. Dean was relaxing a little bit. "How long did you go to school for? Forever?"

"I'm still kind of in school. It's felt like forever." Cas reached up and rubbed at his neck.

"I dropped out, so excuse me for thinking you must be a genius." Dean looked down at his beer. When he faced up again he saw that Cas was smiling.

"That doesn't bother me at all. If you ever feel intimidated just remember that I drove a screaming car for a year."

Dean started laughing. "Ok, maybe you aren't a genius."

"Thank you." Cas said, making Dean laugh more. He liked it when Dean laughed.

Cas was feeling better. More alive. Seeing Dean was good for him. He looked back over at the table.

"Do you need me to go?" Dean asked watching Cas's eyes.

"Not yet. I don't have much more to do. Just reading and signing things. In duplicate." He rubbed his eyes. "I like seeing you better. How has your week been?" Cas asked Dean. He started walking into the living room and motioned for Dean to join him.

They sat down on the couch together. Meg ruffled her feathers in her cage and started pecking at her little mirror. "Hey Meg." Dean said to the bird. She ignored him.

"It's been alright. Long. Boring. Not a whole lot to report. I need to get a bed for that spare room for when Sam and Jess come." Dean thought for a second. "And I have cable now."

Dean looked around the room and suddenly noticed a lot he hadn't before. Books for one. Lots of books neatly in shelves. A couple frames on the wall that Dean didn't stop to read. He had been more interested in finding pictures of Cas's family. He thought he should try and get a closer look at those sometime so he knew exactly what "specific fields' Cas was 'well educated' in.

"I'd ask how your weeks been, but apparently it's been a shit show." Dean said to Cas.

"Shit." The bird spoke up from her cage.

"Meg!" Cas looked at her and back to Dean. "She's been cursing a lot."

Cas sighed. "It's been a long week. It's almost over. They have no right to the land and are just whining about it at this point."

"It sounds like they are running out of ideas if they're calling you up at home to ask what you're wearing." Dean smirked at Cas.

"I hope so. That was Fergus Crowley on the phone. He wants to build there and he can't. He doesn't like not getting what he wants." Cas looked at Dean. "I don't want to talk about work."

"Ok. What do you want to talk about?"

"What are you going to tell Sam?" Cas asked.

Dean groaned. "I don't know. What do I say? Surprise?"

"Is he going to be surprised?" Cas genuinely wondered.

"I don't know. Maybe." Dean tried to think back to any times he may have hinted things to Sam. "Maybe not." He added remembering some of the things Sam had said and done the last time he was out there.

"I think you can just tell him plainly and he's going to be happy for you." Cas said.

"I don't know." Dean sighed.

"What do you know?" Cas asked him.

Dean laughed. He reached over and grabbed Castiel's hand. "I know I like you. He's gonna figure it out one way or the other, 'cuz I don't plan on quitting that any time soon." He felt his old confidence coming back.

Dean leaned over and kissed Cas.

Cas's phone started buzzing between the cushions of the couch. Dean pulled back. "I agree, you should throw that thing out."

"I can't even turn it off lately." Cas reached into the couch to grab the phone.

He held it down in front of him. Dean could see it was Gadreel.

"This guy is starting to piss me off Cas." Dean said roughly. "Can't you just tell him we're together so he quits."

"He won't quit." Cas put the phone down on the coffee table in front of him.

"Then we could change your number. Or how's a restraining order sound?"

"He will get my new number. My mother always makes sure of it." Cas sighed. "And a restraining order would make more trouble than its worth. Our parents are friends remember?"

"Ass kicking's still on the table." Dean said seriously.

"Dean." Cas laughed.

Cas let out another yawn.

"You're beat. You should go to bed. I'll forge your signature." Dean said and rubbed Cas's arm.

"It's not worth the jail time Dean. I should get reading. I will take some of them into bed with me." Cas compromised.

"Ok. I'll get out of your hair." Dean said standing up.

He reached down and gave Cas his hand. Cas took it and stood up beside Dean. They held hands a second longer before letting go.

Cas moved to the kitchen table to start gathering up his things. Dean walked up behind him and wrapped his hands around Cas's waist. Cas stopped grabbing papers for a moment and leaned back into it.

"When are you done this? Friday?" Dean asked pulling Cas in tighter.

"Yes." Cas shivered at the feeling of Deans breath on his neck.

"Let's do something then. Anything. I don't like not seeing you."

"Me either." Cas turned his head towards the side Dean was on. "We will think of something to do." He added.

Dean had to leave right now before he jumped this guy's bones. Cas was tired and overworked, and Dean was distracting him. He leaned in and kissed Cas's neck before he let go.

"Get some sleep ok?" Dean said as he opened the front door. "Or you're not gonna make it that long."

"I will." Cas smiled at the request. "Goodnight Dean."

"Night Cas." Dean closed the door.

Cas was feeling a bit dopey. Dean was kind of dreamy. And warm. And smelled like cars and ecstasy.

He shook his head. Back to reality. Cas gathered the rest of his papers and put away the ones he didn't need. He took the rest into his bedroom and put them on his bedside table. He switched on his lamp and got himself ready for bed.

He got under the covers and started reading through his papers, but he found he kept losing his place. Halfway through a page, he would start trying to add how many hours were left until Friday. When he had re read back to where was, he would start wondering what they were going to do.

Cas flipped through the pages left in his hand. There weren't many, he decided he could read them in the morning. He put the papers away beside him and turned out the light. Cas knew he was finally going to get a good night's rest. His phone was still out on the coffee table where he left it. Good, he wouldn't have to listen to the damn thing buzz. He rolled over and fell asleep feeling better than he had in days.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day at the shop moved slower than ever. Time seemed to come to a grinding halt as Dean waited for it to be Friday. Bobby and Dean got through all the work they had by mid-day, and no new vehicles were rolling through. They decided to go around to the other side of the house and work on a couple of Bobby's side projects. They had two cars parked beside each other, one for each of them. As they both stood in front of their respective cars, digging around under the hoods, they starting shooting the shit.

"Sam and Jess still coming this weekend?" Bobby asked, knowing full well they were.

"Yep. They better be. I have a mattress coming on Saturday for them." Dean said while he fiddled with something in the car.

"It'll be good to see the boy. It's nice having you two come around again." Bobby said, getting dangerously close to real sentiment.

"Yeah. I think this was a good move for me." Dean smiled to himself.

Bobby was quiet for a little while. He decided he would try and pry a little bit. He was the kid's uncle after all, he had a right to pry.

"How's your friend doing? The one with the weird name." Bobby asked as passively as he could.

"Castiel." Dean laughed. "He's swamped at work. They're running him into the ground."

"How hard can birds be?" Bobby asked.

"It's more than just birds I guess. I don't really understand it. Turns out the guys a genius." Dean could hear the fondness in his voice while he said it. He wondered if Bobby was picking up on it.

He was.

"Hm." Bobby grunted. "You guys seem to really be hitting it off."

Dean wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement. It sounded like it could have been either.

"We are." Dean said.

He stopped what he was doing inside the car. He was going to start telling people about him and Cas soon anyways. Why not start with Bobby? His heart rate sped up and he had a hard time forming any more words. Where was he supposed to begin?

"You doing alright over there boy?" Bobby asked. He felt the change in the air as Dean tensed up.

"Uh. Yeah Bobby." Dean was quiet again. "Um. About Cas. And me."

Bobby stopped what he was doing and turned to give Dean his full attention. When Dean didn't continue, Bobby spoke up. "Yeah?"

Dean took in a deep breath. He could do this. "We're kinda a thing. Like, together."

Dean stopped breathing and waited for whatever was going to happen next.

"Ahh. I figured as much." Bobby said turning back to look under his car's hood.

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. He let himself breathe again. "You did?" He asked.

Bobby looked back to Dean. "Kid, I've known you since you needed help wiping your own back side. You think I can't tell when you're smitten?" Bobby gave Dean a hard look, but there was love behind it. "Your Aunt's going to be tickled." He added. "She was quite taken with your bird man."

Dean felt every part of him relax. He hadn't noticed how tense he was before this moment. He told Bobby and it was actually pretty painless, once he got the words out anyways.

"Thanks Bobby." Dean said as he turned back to what he had been doing.

"Don't be thanking me. I'm just glad you finally pulled your head out of your ass." Bobby said, turning back into his old regular self.

Dean laughed. He was glad things were ok. Totally normal actually. He didn't know exactly what he was expecting would happen, but he was glad none of his worst case scenarios were coming true.

"You told your brother yet?" Bobby asked after a minute.

"No. Just you so far." Dean said, he didn't think Charlie counted. "I'm gonna tell him about it when he's out."

"Good." Was all Bobby had to add. He grunted at something under the hood.

They worked in silence after that. Asking each other to look at a few things in the vehicles and for an extra hand when they needed it. Eventually a small white Volkswagen came into the yard. They heard it before they saw it, the muffler was toast.

It was back to business as usual. Dean felt lighter after having told Bobby about Cas. He hadn't known it was weighing on him so much. His confidence about talking to Sam skyrocketed. It was going to be ok.

Cas sat in his temporary cubicle at work. He normally didn't have to stay in one spot around so many people for so long. He was more often moving from place to place, or working from home. Here it was noisy, busy, and Cas hated every second of it. One of the things he liked about his job was the solidarity. Sure, he had to talk to people regarding research and make and take calls, but this hustle and bustle was uncomfortable for him.

Crowley had made sure to go down swinging, and pulled out every big gun he had. The result was of course that people like Cas, with education in conservation and ethics, were having to work together to get through the mountains of paperwork and proposals they were trying to push through. It wouldn't be so bad if Crowley and his men weren't so sneaky. There was no chance of skipping anything, or they might miss a clause hidden away that would work in Crowley's favor.

Cas moved the finished papers in front of him to the side. When he saw that there were no more underneath, he let out a sigh of relief and lowered his head to the desk.

"Castiel? These just came for you. I'm sorry." One of the secretaries, Hannah, placed some papers down beside his lowered head. Cas groaned. "Thank you Hannah."

"You have a visitor as well. I told him you were busy but he didn't seem to mind." Hannah said guiltily.

Cas thought maybe it was Dean and raised his head to face her. Hannah mouthed the word "sorry" to him and she turned to walk away.

"Hey there little brother! Miss me?!" Gabriel said as he stepped in taking Hannah's place. "Sweet digs you got here." He said looking around the cubicle.

Cas groaned again and put his head back down.

"Oh don't be like that. Come on in for a hug." Gabriel said stretching his arms out.

"No." Cas said to his desk.

"Don't get your feathers in a bunch Cassy." Gabriel goaded.

Cas lifted his head annoyed. "Why are you here? Can't you see I'm busy drowning in paper work?"

"And here I am to lovingly raise you up and lift your spirits." Gabriel said self approvingly. "I just got in. I thought seeing you was better than stopping in at home first. You weren't home so I thought I'd see if you were here. And voila! I was right."

"I'm almost never here. How do you even know where here is?" Cas looked at Gabriel. "You know, never mind, I don't care."

Gabriel looked down at his brother, loving how annoyed he was. "Oooh, you're as mad as a wet hen. Get your ducks in a row so we can fly the coop. This place is for the birds."

Cas glared at him. "Are you done?"

"Not even close Cassy. C'mon, I just had a long flight." Gabriel said, his smile widening.

Cas knew what was coming and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"And boy are my arms tired!" Gabriel laughed. He had resolved that that joke would never get old a long, long time ago.

Cas looked over at the clock on the wall. It was already passed 7. Maybe if he got the new forms done that Hannah had brought him, he could escape before any more appeared.

"Ok." Cas sighed. "Let me fill these out and I will try and leave."

"You mean we, right Cas?" Gabriel played at being hurt.

"Yes, we. Shut up and let me work." Cas picked up his pen and started filling in all the blank spaces.

The form didn't take him very long to finish. He quickly gathered his things and stood up.

"Alright! Now we are in business!" Gabriel said giving Cas a firm pat on the shoulder.

They left the building without any trouble. Cas was relieved to be out of there. Without the added stress of his work surrounding him he warmed to his brother's presence. It was actually good to see him, it had been a long time since Gabe had last been in town. They approached Castiel's car as Cas was trying to dig out his keys.

"No way. You're still driving the screech mobile?" Gabriel asked, looking at the car like it stunk.

"I had it fixed. It's just a normal mobile now." Cas said finally locating the keys.

"Hand those over here." Gabriel said, using his rarely heard serious voice. Cas looked down at the keys. Gabe could be reckless in a million different ways, but driving wasn't one of them. He was right, Cas wasn't fit to be behind the wheel.

Cas tossed the keys to Gabriel over the hood and they switched sides of the vehicle. As they got on the road Gabe turned to Cas. "Where to?"

"Home. Bed. Please?" Cas attempted, knowing he wouldn't get far with it, but trying didn't hurt.

"No way José. C'mon, don't make me go see the dragon until I have to. I want to push that back as far as I can. Let's go to The Roadhouse." Gabe told more than asked Cas.

Great. More noise. More people.

"Get your new boy toy to join us. I wanna meet this one, he pisses mom off something fierce." Gabe said smiling at Cas.

Of course his mother called up Gabe. She could never help herself from trying to interfere in his life. He knew his brother was a sounding board for her. She always seemed to think she could get him to talk sense into Cas whenever he inevitably did something against exactly what she wanted. She had yet to figure out however that Gabe was still always on his side.

Cas let out a small sound of annoyance. "How bad was it this time?" He asked

"Cassy, she had me on the phone for 2 hours. I put her on speaker and just let her play in the background like the world's worst mix tape." He laughed. "She pulled out all the classics." He screwed up his face and put on his 'mom' voice. "Cas is making a huge mistake! Gadreel! Gadreel! And for a mechanic! Why I never!" he finished that last one off with a dramatic hand to his chest.

Cas couldn't keep himself from laughing.

"She moved on to you wasting your schooling on birds before she moved on to what I was disappointing her with. C'mon, I wanna meet the man who's gonna give the old woman a stroke." Gabriel finished.

Cas pulled out his phone and looked at it. Dean did say he wanted to meet his family. If Cas had to go to The Roadhouse, which he apparently did, it would be more bearable with Dean there. He looked at his brother, who was paying attention to the road. Gabriel was sure to embarrass him in some way. He opened his contacts and dialed Dean.

"Atta boy!" Gabe said encouragingly beside him.

"Shut up. No not you. Sorry. Hello Dean." Cas said as Dean answered his call.

"Heya Dean!" Gabe called out from the driver's seat. Cas shushed him and turned his attention back to the call.

"That's Gabriel. He showed up at my work and kidnapped me." Cas paused. "Yeah, he just got into town. He's dragging me to The Roadhouse against my will." He listened for a bit. "He wants to meet you. Can you meet us there?" He waited as Dean answered. "Ok. Good. I don't want to be out long. I am dying from exhaustion." Cas shot his brother a look. "I'll see you soon. Thanks." He ended the call.

"He's going to meet us." Cas told Gabe.

"Wahooooo!" Gabriel called out giddily.

"Please don't embarrass me Gabe. I really do like him." Cas pleaded.

"I won't make any promises I can't keep baby brother." Gabe laughed as he passed the apartment building and continued driving towards The Roadhouse.

Dean hung up the call with Cas. He hadn't been doing anything except watching mind numbing TV. He had already showered since he arrived home from work, so he just needed to make himself presentable. He moved to his bedroom and quickly dressed himself in some of his newer clothes. He silently thanked Jess again for forcing him to let her dress him up. He grabbed his keys from the counter and started heading down to his car.

He was going to meet Cas's brother. He knew he said he wanted to, but now he found that he was a little bit nervous. Gabriel sounded chipper on the phone, and Dean remembered the fondness in Cas's voice when he spoke about him. Dean shook off his nerves and drove himself the few blocks over to the bar.

Cas's car was already in the lot. Good, he wasn't going to have to stand around waiting and psyching himself out. Dean let out a long breath and headed inside.

They were sitting in a booth further back in the bar. They had already ordered drinks, a third sitting waiting for Dean. Cas had seated himself on the side that had the better view of the door so he could see when he got there. As Dean walked in Cas perked up.

Gabe turned around to look. "That must be him." He turned back to look at Cas. "Very nice. Mrrrrow!" He said with an eyebrow wiggle and a purr.

Cas rolled his eyes at Gabe and waved towards Dean. He saw them after a second and headed towards the booth.

Gabe stood up as Dean approached and held out his arms. "C'mere big guy!" he said pulling Dean in for a hug. Dean was taken aback and just kind of patted Gabriel on the shoulder. The man was a lot shorter than he was. He guessed this was a good start.

"Hi." Dean said. "You're friendly."

"I like anything that will take my mother to an early grave." Gabe said pulling himself back from Dean.

Dean laughed and looked down towards where Cas was sitting. "Is that true? Am I killing your mom?"

"Probably." Cas sighed. "I wouldn't worry about it. Dean, this is my brother Gabriel. Gabriel, Dean."

Dean slid himself into the booth next to Cas. He wanted to touch him, but between being in public and having Cas's brother in front of them he decided to keep his hands to himself.

"It is good to meet you Dean." Gabriel said with a big smile.

"You too." Dean turned to Cas. "How are you doing? If I knew all I had to do was kidnap you I would have been doing it all week."

"Things are winding down a little." Cas told him. "I didn't even have to take any work home with me tonight."

"That's good." Dean said, turning back to Gabriel. "You just got in? Where'd you come from?"

"This time, Detroit. I move around a lot. Can't stay in one place too long. It gets boring." Gabe responded. "I couldn't avoid coming back any longer."

"Why's that?" Dean asked curiously.

"Mother will annoy the hell out of me until I do. I've got a system worked out that keeps her at bay." Gabe said like it was nothing.

Dean was really starting to worry about meeting this woman.

"Oh. I hear she's." Dean paused. "Charming."

"Yeah." Cas scoffed. "Like a witch."

"You can find out for yourself. We have to go for dinner tomorrow night. Oh, by the way Cas, we have to go for dinner tomorrow night." Gabe told Cas, filling him in. "You should join us and make it a real event."

Dean looked at Cas. He saw the dread on his face.

"I can't." Cas said. "We have plans to tomorrow night."

"Doing what?" Gabe asked.

"Anything other than dinner with our parents." Cas replied.

Gabriel laughed. "You know it isn't that easy Cassy."

Cas sighed.

"So what do you say handsome? You in for a wild ride?" Gabe asked Dean.

Meeting Cas's parents. Tomorrow? That was not what Dean had had in mind when he asked Cas to hang out. He had been more hoping for a continuation of their time at the park.

"No, Gabe." Cas answered for him. He looked at Dean and back to his brother. "She will eat him alive."

"Hey!" Dean said, "I can handle myself all right."

Gabe and Cas looked at each other and started laughing in unison.

Castiel's phone started vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out telling the other two it was work and he had to take it. Dean stood up to let Cas get by.

That left Dean and Gabriel alone at the table together. Dean couldn't really see any resemblance between the two brothers. Personality wise they were like night and day.

"Is it really going to be that bad?" Dean asked Gabriel worriedly.

"So you are coming! Great. And yes, probably." He told Dean.

"Yeah. Great." Dean said slowly.

"Moms not going to be happy with anyone unless it's Gadreel. Don't worry too much. It'll be rough, but I think we can handle it." Gabe said.

We. Ok good, at least Castiel's brother was going to be on his side.

A small impish man walked up to their booth. He was wearing a sweater vest and had short curly hair that looked damp. Dean looked at the stranger and immediately didn't like him.

"You're the new guy right?" The man said to Dean.

"I guess so yeah." Dean answered.

"I've seen you over at the building. I'm Marv." The man held out his hand. Dean didn't take it.

"Dean." Was all he said.

Marv looked down at his hand and slowly put it back down at his side. "I've seen you hanging around with Asstiel." He said. "Get it? Because he's a fag?"

Dean tensed up. He started glaring a hole through the small disgusting man.

"Hey buddy." Dean said starting to get up from his seat. His hand clenching into a fist.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there. I'll leave you and your 'boyfriend' alone. Yeash. Gross." Marv turned and walked away. He stumbled a bit, clearly drunk.

Gabriel watched Marv leaving. He looked back at Dean and was completely settled on the fact that he definitely liked this guy.

Dean looked like he still wanted to go knock Marv's lights out.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked Gabriel, astonished at what had just gone on.

"It happens. Don't think I haven't thrown a few punches at people like that over the years." Gabriel let out a small sigh. "Cas hates it, but I have a hard time hearing garbage like that about my little bro."

Dean was glad to hear Cas had had someone watching his back. Gabriel was a bit odd, but Dean liked him.

"I wouldn't mention it when he gets back. He'll just worry." Gabe said.

Dean looked over to the other end of the bar where it was a bit quieter. Cas was still talking on the phone, one hand plugging his other ear so he could hear better.

"Ok." He looked back at Gabriel. "How are your parents about him being gay?" he asked.

"Oh mom loves it. He's her token gay child. She uses it like a tool to promote how 'progressive' and 'accepting' she is. It's sickening really." Gabe rolled his eyes.

Cas hung up his phone and returned to the table.

Dean moved over and let Cas take the outside seat. He passed him his drink. "Everything ok?" He asked.

"Yes." Cas sighed. "They want me in for a meeting early. They are trying to kill me."

Gabriel looked at Cas and decided he had had his fun. "Ok, Ok. I get it. Let's finish these up and you go get to bed. I'll go home and face the music."

They finished their drinks and talked a little bit more. Gabriel asked Dean a bunch of questions so he had some material prepared for dinner tomorrow night.

They all left the bar together and Gabriel looked around for which way it was to the bus stop.

"You can take my car if you want." Cas told Gabe. "I can get a ride home with Dean and bus in to work in the morning."

"You sure?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Cas yawned.

Gabriel tossed the keys up and down in his hand. "Thanks Cas. It was good meeting you Dean. Put the baby bird to bed will you?"

Dean laughed. "Yeah, I'm on it. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Cas turned to Dean with a look of shock and horror.

Gabriel laughed and walked towards Cas's car.

Dean and Cas both got into the impala. Cas turned to Dean and said seriously. "You know, you don't have to come. It's not going to be fun. At all."

"I know." Dean said starting up the car. "You're worth it."

Cas sighed. He was touched that Dean was willing to jump into the fire for him, but it didn't stop him from worrying.

When they got into the elevator Dean asked Cas if he was going to make it the rest of the way home. The man was dead on his feet.

"Yes Dean. I can manage the next 30 steps." Cas said and yawned again. The door opened on the third floor.

Dean quickly hugged Cas and kissed the side of his head. "Thanks for letting me join you guys. I like your brother."

"Just remember you said that tomorrow night." Cas said as Dean stepped out.

Dean laughed. "Goodnight Cas."

"Goodnight Dean." Cas yawned as the elevator closed.


	16. Chapter 16

Dean had wanted the time to move faster yesterday, now he found it was moving too quickly. His shift at the yard was flying by, the clock speeding towards the end of the day. He didn't think he was prepared for tonight. He had no way of predicting what was in store for him, other than he knew it was going to be difficult.

While Dean was dragging his feet, dreading heading home, Bobby came up behind him.

"You wearing lead shoes?" Bobby asked, startling Dean.

"Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that." Dean put his hand over his eyes.

"I wasn't sneaking, you were off in la la land. What's going on?" Bobby asked with a raised brow.

"Nothing. I'm supposed to go meet Cas's parents tonight." Dean said.

"Ah. I see." Bobby said understanding. "Well, you're a likable enough guy, you'll be fine."

"I don't know Bobby. From what I've been hearing Cas's mom is a handful. She already hates me." Dean ran his hands over his face.

"It ain't gettin' any better standing around here." Bobby said matter of factly."Go home and get ready. Good luck kid." Bobby nodded at Dean as walked passed him towards the house.

"Thanks." Dean said after Bobby was already out of ear shot. He got into his baby and started driving home.

He parked his car in the lot and put his head down on the wheel. He breathed a few deep breaths. When he lifted his head he saw Cas walking up the path towards him. Dean admired him for a moment. He felt some of his stress leave as he watched him. He was wearing a fitted baseball tee shirt that made his upper body look incredible. Dean got out of the car to go and meet him.

"Hello handsome." Dean said as they met up, standing closer than was strictly necessary.

Cas smiled. "Hello."

"You ready for tonight?" Dean asked, and watched the smile fall from Cas's face.

"No. Are you?" Cas looked nervous. "We really don't have to go. I can fall deathly ill. I went to school with a guy who's a doctor now, I can get a note."

Dean laughed and pulled Cas in towards him. They were outside, but Dean didn't care, even after that stupid comment from Marv last night.

He thought about that more when he got home. It bugged the hell out of Dean. The more he thought about it, he knew he wasn't ashamed of his relationship. He didn't see any point in hiding it to appease bigoted ass holes.

"Hey!" Cas said surprised at the advancement. Dean pulled him in tighter.

"I think I'm ready. You will be there. And Gabe. If it goes badly at least we can say we tried." Dean said with a lot more confidence than he really felt.

"I guess." Cas said to Dean unconvincingly. "We should probably get ready."

"Ok." Dean said, not moving or letting go.

"I mean, now." Cas laughed as he stayed locked in Deans arms.

Dean gave in to the request and let go. They turned to walk into the building together.

They stopped in at Deans first.

"So what do I wear?" He asked Cas. He had no idea what Cas's parents would find acceptable, and he wasn't about to just wing it.

"It doesn't really matter. She's going to hate you no matter what you wear." Cas said discouragingly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jerk." Dean rolled his eyes and walked to his closet. Cas followed him.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I don't really know, it's just dinner. I'll probably wear a dress shirt and jeans." Cas provided more helpfully.

"Is it corny if we match?" Dean asked unsure.

"I don't think so." Cas laughed.

Dean grabbed the dark button down he had worn the first time him and Cas had gone out.

"I like that one." Cas said as he looked at the shirt Dean was holding.

"Yeah, me too." Dean smiled.

"You should shower. You smell like." Cas tried to think of what it was, oil maybe? "Cars."

Dean laughed and pulled his shirt up over his head. "Ok. I'll do that and come upstairs when I'm ready. Sound good?"

Cas couldn't get his tongue working right away.

"Cas?" Dean laughed.

"Yes. That sounds good. Very good." He said while his eyes traveled over Dean's half naked body. "I'll, uh, go, do that. Bye." Cas turned to leave. He stopped and looked back at Dean again. "Are you sure you want to go? You have me convinced I would rather stay right here."

"Yes, now get out of here." Dean laughed and turned to go into the bathroom.

Cas sighed and left the room. He heard the shower turn on and was tempted to go back and take a peek. He didn't, he knew he had to go get ready too.

Cas got upstairs and decided to jump in the shower as well. He kept the water cold to wake him up, and cool him down. When he got out he dressed himself in a blue button down shirt that really brought out his eyes. He looked at himself in the mirror. "Two can play at that game." He said to his reflection. He finished dressing and went out to wait for Dean.

Dean let himself into Cas's place when he got there. Cas was in the living room talking to Meg.

Cas heard Dean come in and turned around to face him. "Oh, you changed your mind on the shirt? This one is nice too." He added.

Dean had chosen to wear a white button down instead. "Is it too formal? I didn't want to taint the memories on my other one in case tonight is a disaster."

Cas smiled. "Good thinking. You look great."

Dean walked to join Cas in the living room. He noticed Cas's eyes right away. "You too."

Dean was starting to feel anxious. "When do we have to leave? I don't know where I'm going." He wrapped his arms around Cas to center himself.

Cas held Dean around his waist, locking his hands behind his back. "Pretty soon. They live way the hell out there."

"Hell" Meg squawked from behind them.

"So we have time?" Dean asked, his voice full of suggestion.

"A little." Cas said, excited by the tone Dean was using.

They started kissing in the living room, pulling in closer. They both let themselves get lost in each other. It had been a long, hard week and they were finally able to let go. Dean reached his hand up to cradle Cas's face as he kissed him eagerly. He was starving for this. They might have a rough night ahead of them, but Dean wasn't about to let this small window they had go to waste.

Dean turned them around so his own back was to the couch. Dean lowered one hand to Cas's ass and pulled Cas down to the couch with him. As he settled back Cas was straddling him, their mouths briefly parting. Dean reached up and pulled at the back of Cas's hair, lifting his face so Dean could get at his neck. He started sucking and biting there, harder than he knew he should. Cas moaned.

"Dean. Careful. She won't take kindly to me being covered in bite marks." Cas sighed, enjoying the feeling and wishing he didn't have to say anything.

Dean stopped momentarily. He turned his mouth up to Cas's ear. "I don't think she's going to take very kindly to me either way, remember?" He bit at Castiel's ear lobe and wrapped his arm around his waist. He used that arm to pull Cas onto the couch so he was laying down. Dean moved himself so he was laying his body down between Cas's legs. He turned Cas's head and continued ravaging his neck. Cas greedily ran his hands over Deans body.

Dean was so hard. He could feel that Cas was too. He started to thrust himself against him, wishing they didn't have all this fabric between them.

Cas moaned as Dean did it, and Dean pushed himself against him again.

"God. Dean." Cas moaned again, moving his hands down to grab Deans ass. He used his own strength to pull Dean into him.

Dean moved his hand to Cas's belt and started to undo the buckle.

"Dean." Cas moaned out. "I." He breathed in sharply as Dean thrust himself forwards again.

"We" Cas started, wishing he could just shut up and let things keep going.

Dean stopped and looked down into Cas's eyes. "What?" He asked.

Cas let out a heavy sigh. "We don't have that much time."

Dean put his head down so their foreheads were resting together.

"We can still skip dinner. Last chance." Cas said, hoping Dean would take him up on it.

"No." Dean sighed. "Son of a bitch." He said as he slowly started moving himself to let Cas sit up.

"Bitch!" Meg called out from her cage.

Dean laughed. "You weren't kidding about her potty mouth."

Cas was sitting up next to Dean now. He was still very excited, the last thing he wanted to do was get up and go to his parent's house.

Cas ran his hand down along his face. "I would rather stay here." He tried with Dean.

"Me too." Dean told him. "But are we really going to leave Gabriel to suffer alone?"

Dean had a point, and Cas conceded.

They stood up and Cas fixed his belt. "Let me give Meg her dinner and we can get going."

"Ok." Dean said, and Cas went towards the kitchen.

"Can I try holding her?" Dean asked.

Cas stopped on his way back from the fridge and put the small dish down on the coffee table. "Yes. If you want to. Are you sure? You didn't seem to like her much last time."

"I wanna try anyways." Dean said.

Cas walked to the cage. "Just don't be scared. It's a weird feeling at first if you aren't used to it."

He put his hand inside the cage and Meg walked herself onto Castiel's hand. He lifted her out and moved towards Dean.

Dean tensed up.

"You're sure you're sure?" Cas asked.

"Yes. Ok, give her here." Dean said holding out his hand.

Meg wasn't interested in leaving Cas at first. He had to coax her into it. Eventually she moved her little feet so she was standing on Dean's hand instead.

She was heavier than Dean had expected. He moved his hand up and down, testing what she would allow. She just moved with him, she didn't seem to care at all. Dean relaxed and turned her so he could see her face. She wasn't so bad, and she wasn't biting him.

"She's kinda neat." He told Cas.

"I think so." Cas said, watching Dean and Meg.

"Do you want to put her back or should I?" Cas asked, he knew they really had to get going now.

"I will." Dean said, walking slowly and carefully towards the cage.

Cas smiled at how adorable Dean was. Eventually he would get used to holding her, but for now it was sweet to watch him being so cautious.

Dean reached back and grabbed the little food dish from the table and put it where he had seen Cas set it last time. He closed the small latch on the cage. "Alright. No more stalling. Let's get this show on the road."

They ran into Charlie briefly as they walked through the lot towards the impala. "Hola Bitches!" She called out to them. "Where are you two going? A funeral?" She asked as she got closer, picking up on their tension.

"Going to meet Cas's mom." Dean told her.

Charlie let out an "Oooof" as though someone had punched her in the gut.

"Yeah." Dean agreed.

"Well, it was nice knowing you." Charlie rested her hand on Dean's shoulder. "If you survive, lets go for drinks and celebrate."

"Sounds good to me Charlie." Dean said.

Charlie walked backwards towards the building. She kissed her three fingers and held them up towards Dean. He didn't know what it meant, but she had a very solemn look on her face while she did it.

"She's weird." Dean told Cas again, and they finished their walk to the impala.

They started the long drive to Castiel's parent's house. He hadn't been exaggerating when he said they lived far out. Dean noticed out the windows that the houses kept getting nicer. Soon, they started getting bigger as well.

"It's this one, up here." Cas pointed through the window.

They drove up to a large gate.

Dean turned to Cas. "You didn't think to mention your parent's were loaded?"

"No." Cas said simply. "I didn't think it was really that important."

Dean rolled his eyes. "So how do we get in?"

"31749 on the keypad." Cas leaned his head against the hand he had resting on the car door.

Dean leaned over and punch the numbers in. The gate started to open slowly.

They continued up the long drive way.

"Where do I park?" Dean asked.

"Over there." Cas said, pointing towards where his own car was parked.

Dean noticed that the closer they got the house, the more depressed Cas seemed to get.

Dean parked the impala. "Are you gonna be ok?" He asked Cas concerned.

"Yes." Cas sighed. "I just wish I knew she was going to be nice to you. My dad is great, but mom can be really cruel. Just, don't hate me when she says horrible things."

"I won't." Dean reached over and grabbed Castiel's hand.

They stepped out of the car and saw Gabriel opening the front door of the enormous house.

Gabe skipped down the front stairs and hurried towards the car.

"Cas, Dean. Hey guys." Gabriel said with a worried tone.

"Hey Gabe." Dean said back. "How is it in there?"

Gabriel looked between Dean and Cas. He sighed out. His face was troubled.

"What's up man?" Dean asked.

"Cas." Gabriel said to his brother. He paused for a second. "Listen I didn't know ok. I promise you I didn't know."

"What?" Cas asked, drawing on his brothers nervous energy.

Gabriel let out a long sigh. "She invited Gadreel."

"WHAT?!" Cas and Dean said in unison.

"I guess she was trying to do some sort of weird parent trap thing on you. I'm sorry guys." Gabriel said, his voice heavy.

Everyone was silent.

Dean spoke up. "Ok. So that's how it is. Does she at least know I'm here?"

"I just told her. She is not happy." Gabe said.

"Shit." Cas muttered.

"I'm sorry Cas." Gabriel said again.

Cas looked at his brothers face and could see how horrible he felt about it.

"It's not your fault." Cas told him.

Gabriel relaxed a little bit.

"What's the game plan?" Dean asked them both.

"I can do that thing where every time she says Gadreel I pretend she was talking to me?" Gabriel suggested.

"That's a start." Dean said.

"Where's Dad?" Cas asked. He knew his best chance was to have his father nearby.

"He's laying down." Gabriel said. "Want me to fake a heart attack? We can nip this whole thing in the bud."

Dean laughed. "Guys, we can do this. I know Gadreel is a total ass." Dean looked at Gabe, "I met him a little while back." He filled Gabe in.

"But," Dean reached over and grabbed Castiel's hand, "Mother Dearest is just going to have to accept it."

Gabriel and Cas looked at each other.

"What?" Dean asked them.

"That's not her style Dean." Cas said.

"Then I'll just have to take what she throws at me. I got this." He leaned over and kissed Cas.

"Loving the confidence." Gabe said to Dean. "C'mon boys, as they say, misery loves company."


	17. Chapter 17

The three of them started to walk towards the house. Cas stopped and grabbed Dean.

"Dean. Please. I'm sorry." Cas said rushed and painfully.

Dean hated the way Cas was looking at him. He never wanted him to feel this way. "It's ok. I promise. No matter how bad it gets, it's ok."

Castiel let out a long breath. Dean had been worried coming here, but seeing how much it was weighing on Cas, he decided he was going to be as strong as he needed to be for him.

They continued up towards the house. Dean reached back and held Cas's hand.

As Gabriel reached out and opened the front door, Dean suddenly asked. "What's your mom's name?"

"Gail." They said together.

"Ok. Thanks." Dean said as they stepped through the entryway.

Dean looked around the grand entrance to the house. The ceiling was incredibly high, with a large, intricate chandelier hanging down. To the left there was a long staircase winding up to the next floor. This was a lot more than he had expected. Dean wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to the added extravagance of the place. He looked towards Cas and regained his center.

"Castiel? Darling!" A woman's voice said sweetly

"Hello Mom." Cas said in a happier voice than Dean knew he felt.

Dean looked around and his eyes fell on Gail. She was short and thin, with dark hair pulled back tightly. She was older, and dressed in a smart pant suit. He felt himself tense up, he squeezed Cas's hand before letting go.

"Mom, this is Dean." Castiel said as his mother walked towards them.

"That's nice Dear." She said, refusing to truly acknowledge him. "I wish you would have said you were bringing a friend." She looked at Dean. "It will be difficult making room at the table."  
Dean heard Cas stifle a sigh.

"Hello, Gail?" Dean said, holding out his hand. "I'm Dean. It's nice to meet you."

Gail looked at Dean's hand. She didn't reach out. "Please, call me ." She said as she turned away.

Cas looked over at Dean. "So, that's my mom." He said once she had left the room.

Dean breathed out heavily. "I told you, I got this. Wow, though. Seriously. Wow."

Cas smiled at Dean. He was grateful that he was going to try so hard, even if it was in vein.

They walked through the entry way together and came into a large sitting room. Gadreel was in one of the chairs there, Gail was sitting across from him.

"Castiel, Gadreel is joining us tonight. Aren't you glad?" Gail asked encouragingly.

"Not especially. Hello Gadreel." Cas said.

Dean held in his laughter, but couldn't stop his face from smiling.

"Darling, don't be rude." She said to Cas, a shocked expression on her face.

"Castiel." Gadreel said sombrely. "Winchester." He added, looking at Dean.

"Hey Buddy." Dean said with a small wave.

"Cas! Can you gimmie a hand?!" Gabriel called out from somewhere in the house, "Might need you too Dean!" he added.

Cas and Dean both turned away to answer the call. They found Gabriel in the kitchen.

"Whew. Good thing you guys came." Gabriel looked down at the counter. "This tapenade is heavy. The crackers too. I mean, I only have two arms!" Gabriel acted as if he was stressed out over the whole ordeal.

"Thank you Gabriel." Cas said as he went over to grab the two bowls and place them on the table.

"No problem Cassy. Thought you would want out as soon as humanly possible."

Dean smiled at Gabe. He really did look out for Cas. It reminded him of himself and Sammy.

"I see you're still standing." Gabriel said to Dean. "Congratulations, you survived level one."

Dean smiled and looked at Cas. "Hear that? It's going great."

Cas rolled his eyes.

"Now we lay low until she finds us." Gabriel said to Dean, letting him in to what felt like a secret club between the brothers.

"Sounds good to me." Dean said to the two of them. "Nice house. You guys grow up here?"

Gabriel stayed quiet and let Cas answer. "Kind of." Cas said. "The house was always here, but it didn't look like this."

"It used to be a normal house." Gabriel added.

"Oh." Was all Dean said to them.

The house smelled wonderful. "What are we having?" Dean asked. He was starving.

"You? Probably dog food. The rest of us are having roast." Gabe said to Dean.

"Gabe, don't be an assbutt." Cas sighed.

Dean smiled at the two brothers.

"It better be Alpo, that's all I have to say about it." Dean grabbed Cas's hand and pulled him closer.

Gabe excused himself to the table to go chow down on the snacks.

Dean and Cas were standing semi alone, very closely together.

"How are you doing?" Dean asked Cas.

Cas kissed him. "Ok."

"Good." Dean said.

They heard Gadreel clearing his throat nearby.

Both turned to look at him. Dean barely held back his groan.

"Castiel. Gail sent me to find you." Gadreel said stiffly.

"You found him." Dean said, still holding Cas's hand.

"I see that." Gadreel paused. "Thank you Dean" he added, looking around uncomfortably.

Thank you Dean? That was weird.

"What's up?" Dean asked Gadreel.

Gadreel looked over at them. "I would prefer not to have to be alone with Gail anymore."

Gabriel choked on his bite, and Dean actually started laughing. Cas let his face split into a wide grin.

"I hear that." Dean said as he let go of Cas's hand. He looked over at Gadreel standing awkwardly off to the side. Dean remembered then that Gadreel had actually been Castiel's closest friend growing up. It wasn't until fairly recently that he started going completely insane on him. He couldn't be all bad, and Dean thought maybe he should try and give the guy a chance.  
"Welcome to the hide out." Dean said to Gadreel, and noticed the man physically relax. Cas looked over to Dean and smiled. Good, Dean felt confident he was doing the right thing.  
Gadreel walked in closer to join the other three. Dean could tell he was still going to be stand offish for a while, and he could hardly blame him. They hadn't exactly started off on the right foot.

"So, Gadreel. You've been around a long time right?" Dean asked.

"That's right." Gadreel answered him.

"Do you remember what the house was like before this? These guys were just telling me it's changed a lot."

Gadreel actually smiled. Dean didn't think he'd seen that before. The guy was actually kind of likable with a smile on. "Yes, I do. I liked it better then." Gadreel said to the three of them. "There was a tree in the yard we all enjoyed. We built a tree house, do you remember?" Gadreel asked Cas and Gabriel.

Gabriel stated laughing. "Yeah, it was awesome. At least it was until some bird brain decided to fall out and break his arm."

"I was 8." Cas said defensively.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep using that excuse." Gabe said with an eye roll, turning back to his snacks.

Gail walked in to the room and the air turned cold. Everybody in the room tensed up.

"Alright boys, dinner will be ready shortly." She said into the room.

"Will Dad be joining us?" Cas asked hopefully.

"I don't think so Castiel. He's been so tired lately." Gail said, actually showing a sliver of human emotion.

"Please set the table. Dean?" She said his name like it tasted bad coming out of her mouth. "Why don't you do that and let these boys visit. Plates are there." She pointed to a cupboard. "I assume you know how?"

Dean gave her an exaggerated smile. "I do know how to set a table. I'll get right on that ."

She nodded at the formal use of her name and turned to leave.

The air rushed back into the room once she left. "I don't actually think I know how to set a table. Me and Sammy mostly used paper plates, or the wrappers our food came in." Dean said to everyone in the room.

"You lied?" Gadreel asked Dean incredulously.

"I did." Dean said as he turned to start grabbing some plates.

The main table was in a separate room he discovered. The other three guys helped him set everything up. Once they were finished they all took their seats and waited for Gail to return.  
Cas was happy. Things were going a lot better than he expected them too after Gabriel had informed them that Gadreel was present. He liked that Dean was trying to get along with him. He missed his friend, and this was the first time in quite a while that things felt normal between them again. It was a little tense, sure, but Cas knew how much worse it could be.

Dean was chatting with Gabriel at the table. Gabe was regaling him with some of his travel stories, and Dean was laughing at all of his punchlines. Cas and Gadreel were both sitting silently watching the other two and listening along.

"Castiel?" Gadreel said to him after a little while.

"Yes?" He responded, hoping this wasn't about to get uncomfortable.

"I'm s," He started as Gail walked in to the room. Everybody shut up.

"Don't stop on my account." She said as she took her place at the table. She looked around and turned her eyes to Dean. "I thought you said you knew how to set a table?"

Dean looked at the other three men. They had done most of the work, so he really couldn't be at fault. He was happy to take the blame however.

"Is this not how you like it?" He asked her.

"No. But I don't know what I was expecting." She sighed.

It was physically painful for everyone to hold in their reactions.

A small red haired woman dressed in black came through the doors to the dining room. She was holding a large roast on a serving tray that looked way too big for her to be handling on her own.

She set it down on the table and scurried away. She returned after a moment with a couple bottles of wine and placed them around the table.

"The bread Anna?" Gail said to the woman sourly.

"Right." The girl squeaked and left again. She returned with a small bread basket and set it down on the table. She left as quickly as she could, the guys hardly had a chance to thank her.

Gail started serving herself first. Cas reached out and grabbed a bottle of wine and filled his own glass. He passed it along down the table. Everybody was more than happy to indulge.

Once everybody had food on their plates they started eating. It was very quiet, nobody wanting to be the first to speak.

"Gabriel love, it's so good to have you home." Gail opened up the room to conversation. "How was, Detroit was it?"

"Yeah, it's good." Gabe said with a full mouth. "I'll be moving on soon. I'm thinking California." He held his arm out to the side like he was surfing.

Gail looked at him disapprovingly. "Your skin isn't suited to California. You are going to have a terrible time if you go there."

"I hope so!" Gabriel said excitedly, ignoring what his mother had actually said. Dean smiled at Gabes brashness.

"You tell him Gadreel." Gail said, "Gadreel has just been asked to lead the dermatology department at the hospital. Go on Gadreel, tell them."

Gadreel looked around at everyone uncomfortably. "That is true. The head of the department is retiring and they have asked me to step in and take his place."

"Isn't that wonderful?" Gail said happily. "And it must pay very well, doesn't it?"

Dean heard Cas let out a low groan beside him. Dean kicked his foot beneath the table.

"Yes. It does." Gadreel said, turning back to his meal.

"Of course!" Gail said, ignoring everyone else's discomfort at the subject.

Dean decided to give speaking a try. He went to open his mouth and both Cas and Gabriel's heads shot in his direction. Cas looked strained, and Gabe looked like he was trying to will Dean not to do it with his eyes. He went forwards anyways.

"You have a nice home here Mrs. Novak. What do you guys do? It must pay pretty well too."

Gail glared at Dean. "I was an art director before I retired. The boy's father was a philosophy major. He was very successful in academia, he's published many ground breaking papers. He moved on to work in business as a chief financial advisor."

"Interesting." Dean said. "Does he still do that?"

"Not since he fell ill." She said refusing to look at Dean.

"Oh. Sorry to hear that." Dean said looking over at Cas.

That explained his absence, Dean thought. He didn't know Cas's dad was sick. He wished he did. He had been down that road before and knew how badly it sucked.

"And what do your parents do Dean?" Gail asked him, gearing up to shoot him down.

"My parents both died." Dean said to her.

"Oh, well I suppose that means we will be spared meeting them." Gail said as she took a bite.

Cas's face clenched tightly at the remark his mother had made. The air in the room went dead as everybody turned to see how Dean was going to respond.

"Gail, that was quite rude." Gadreel said before Dean had a chance to say anything.

Dean looked at Gadreel. Was he standing up for him? Things in their relationship had just taken a dramatic turn.

"Well, I'm sorry dear." She said to Gadreel, and not to Dean. "I just can't imagine I would enjoy meeting people who raised their son to amount to nothing more than a mechanic. It makes birds seem respectable."

"Mother!" Cas said heatedly. "That is more than enough. Stop this."

Dean looked over at Cas. So this is what he looked like angry. Dean decided he would really rather not see him like this again.

"Don't use that tone with me Castiel." His mother scolded him.

Dean spoke up. "They were wonderful people. They had their problems I guess."

"They must have." Gail said under her breath.

"Well!" Gabriel said butting in and cutting anyone else off from speaking. "I don't know about you guys but I am stuffed!" He put both hands on his stomach to accentuate his point.

"Yes." Gadreel chimed in. "I am also very full." He said less convincingly than Gabriel had.

Gail looked around the table and saw they had barely touched their food.

"We should probably get going." Gabriel started up again. We are all going out, remember guys. To that place we talked about?"

"Oh, yes. That. Yes, we had better head out." Cas said agreeing with Gabriel and standing up.

"You boys aren't staying for dessert?" Gail asked.

"No can do." Gabriel said as he pushed in his chair. Dean and Gadreel stood up to join the brothers.

They all started to leave the dining room. Dean stopped to turn back to Gail. "Thanks for dinner Gail." He said. "It was good to, well no" He stopped to correct himself. "I met you." He stated instead and left to join the others, leaving Gail alone at the table.

All four guys met up at their cars.

"That was exceedingly out of line, even for her." Gadreel said to the group.

"I'll say!" Gabriel said. "I mean, holy Moses. Insulting a guy's dead parents? Youch."

"I'm sorry Dean." Cas said quietly.

"It's over. And hey, I survived. I believe Charlie owes me a drink." He smiled at Cas, trying to reassure him that he was ok. Dean leaned in and kissed Cas on the side of his head when he found the smile wasn't working the way he hoped it would.

"Dean. Can I please speak with you for a moment? Privately." Gadreel asked him.

"Uh. Yeah, sure. One sec guys." Dean said as he moved off to the side with Gadreel. Cas looked anxious, but turned to his brother. Cas was listening as Gabriel animatedly ragged on how horribly their mother had behaved.

"Dean." Gadreel said slowly.

"Gadreel." Dean mimicked him.

Gadreel let out a long breath. "I apologize for my behavior. I understand if you dislike me."

"I don't know, you really turned things around in there. Thanks for sticking up for me with Gail. Don't worry too much about it." Dean replied like it wasn't a big deal.

Gadreel relaxed a little bit and looked over towards Cas.

"Yeah, about that." Dean said, watching Gadreel's eyes. "I'm going to need that to stop."

Gadreel sighed. "I know. I love him Dean."

Dean saw the pain on Gadreel's face and felt for him. He knew that Gadreel had been pining after Cas most of their lives, this had to hurt him. It didn't however excuse how he had been harassing Cas.

"So do I." Dean said. He felt a pulling in his chest as the words left his mouth. He loved Castiel. He knew he did.

Gadreel's face eased up as he heard what Dean said. "He cares for you a great deal as well. I have known Castiel as long as I can remember, and I have never seen him like this."

That made Dean smile. He looked into Gadreel's eyes. "So are we cool? Can you stop tormenting the poor guy? I've been geared up to kick your ass for a while." Dean admitted.

Gadreel laughed. So the guy could laugh? That was good for Dean to know.

"Yes Dean. We are… cool." He paused, feeling strange about using the language. "I will stop calling. I would still like to see him occasionally. You as well."

"Alright man. Great!" Dean held out his hand to Gadreel. When Gadreel reached out and took it, Dean pulled him in to a manly hug instead.

Gadreel was unsure of how to respond, but he let it happen.

Dean turned away to rejoin Cas and Gabriel, when Gadreel stopped him.

"Dean, one more thing. Would you mind talking to Castiel for me? I tried to apologize to him inside, but Gail came in before I could finish."

"Why don't we all get together for drinks or something soon and you can do it yourself?" Dean asked.

Gadreel smiled. "Yes. That sounds good. Thank you Dean."

They both walked back over to the cars together.

"Well guys, I think I've had enough of this place for a while." Dean said as he stood beside Cas. "Wanna head home?"

"Yes. Please." Cas said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Gadreel. We got some catching up to do. What do you say we head out and leave these two in peace? I heard a new bar opened up downtown. Let's check it out." Gabriel said to Gadreel.

"Yes Gabriel, I would enjoy that." Gadreel responded.

Gabriel and Gadreel both got in to Gadreel's vehicle. Cas didn't mind leaving his own car for Gabriel to continue using while he was in town, so he got into the impala with Dean.

As the doors closed, Dean and Cas were finally alone together. Cas turned to face Dean.

"Dean. I'm so sorry." He said for what felt like the millionth time.

Dean smiled. "I know, you've mentioned that." He said as he put his keys in the ignition.

He stopped and turned to fully face Cas. "Cas?" Dean said carefully.

"Yes Dean?" Cas wondered what was going on, Deans tone was suspicious.

"I love you." Dean said, their eyes locking. God, his eyes were incredible.

Cas smiled like Dean hadn't seen before.

"I love you too Dean." He said quietly.

Dean reached out and grabbed his hand. They sat there for a second before Dean spoke up.

"Let's get the hell out of here." He said as he started up the car.

They began heading home. For how terribly dinner had gone, Dean couldn't say he regretted a second of it.


	18. Chapter 18

Dean told Cas all about his talk with Gadreel on the ride home. Cas was relieved to hear he would finally be able to stop dodging his calls every night.

"He's really going to stop calling? I guess tonight wasn't a total waste." Cas told Dean. He hadn't stopped smiling since Dean told him he loved him.

"Not at all." Dean agreed.

They pulled into the parking lot of their building.

"I am so glad to be back here." Cas said contentedly.

"Me too." Dean laughed. "My place or yours?"

"Hmm." Cas thought. "Yours I think. You already fed Meg, and I don't have cable. Unless you were hoping to watch some riveting documentaries on the flight patterns of exotic and domestic birds?"

Dean laughed. "Tempting."

"I have a great one all about a starling murmuration. You'll love it." Cas teased.

"Rain check." Dean said, fully intending to watch whatever Cas was talking about. He had come to terms with the fact that birds were now a significant part of his life, he was going to have to learn something about them some time.

As they went inside and got into the elevator, Dean turned to Cas. "Your moms not happy with the bird thing hey?" He asked, hoping he wasn't touching on too sore a subject.  
"It drives her crazy." Cas laughed

Dean was relieved to hear Cas laughing about it.

"Why? Sounds to me like you're pretty good at it. She should be proud." Dean said as they got off on the third floor and headed towards the door.

"She wanted me to be something else. A doctor. A rocket scientist. A philosopher, like dad. I don't know, just anything else." Cas said as they walked into Dean's apartment.

"She doesn't care what you want then?" Dean asked, closing the door behind them.

"You just met her Dean, I think you can figure that one out on your own." Cas rolled his eyes and started taking off his shoes.

"At least you aren't a lowly mechanic like me." Dean said as he kicked his own shoes off at the door.

"Don't let her get to you. I think you're wonderful. I don't know the first thing about cars. You've driven with me." Cas said moving into the living room and flopping himself down on the couch. He was drained after a long week at work, and then a stressful evening with his family.

"We should take one of the old cars at the salvage yard out some time. I'll teach you some fun driving tricks." Dean said as he sat himself down next to Cas.

"It's your funeral." Cas said simply. "That does sound kind of fun though, I think. I don't know, I've never done it."

"It will be." Dean said reaching over and grabbing Castiel's hand.

"Dean?" Cas asked.

"hmm?" Dean hummed to him.

"We. Umm." Cas didn't seem to know where he was going with this.

"We umm what?" Dean asked him.

"You haven't, done, anything like, we would do, before?" Cas asked awkwardly.

"Oh. No. I haven't." Dean said, getting excited.

"Do you know what you want? I don't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable." Cas said slowly, gaining some confidence as he went.

"Honestly, I have no idea. We can test the waters together if you don't mind that?" Dean said, trying to put Cas's mind at ease. His own was spinning.

"Ok." Cas said relaxing a bit. "We can do that."

"Can we start now?" Dean asked in his most seductive voice.

"Yes please." Cas said as he stood up and resettled himself so he was straddling Dean again.

It was as though none of the dinner had happened, they were right back where they had been before they had to leave, except of course they were at Deans now.

Dean had a much bigger and more comfortable couch. Cas reached his arms along the back of it as he leaned down and started kissing Dean. Deans hands found Cas's hips and he ran them over and around to Castiel's back. Dean loved the feeling of Cas. The weight of him, his build, the way he tasted. Everything was perfection as far as Dean was concerned.

Dean moved his hands to start undoing the buttons on Castiel's shirt. Cas ran his hands through Deans hair as he did it, continuing to kiss him the whole time. Once the buttons were undone Dean pulled the shirt off and threw it over into the living room. It left Cas in just the white undershirt he had been wearing underneath. Dean ran his hands up and down Cas's body.  
Cas moved to lay Dean down beneath him. He reached his hand down and started to take Deans shirt off as well. Dean was impatient and undid the last few buttons himself. Cas smiled as Dean laid under him, his shirt still on but open. Dean sat up, it must have taken some strength with the weight of Cas on him, and finished taking his arms out of his sleeves to remove the shirt completely.

Before going back in, Dean reached down and pulled Cas's shirt up over his head. Dean quickly removed his own undershirt before pulling Cas back down on top of him.

Finally Dean was feeling Cas's skin against his own. It was bliss. He ran his hand up Cas's chest and wrapped it around his neck, pulling him down closer to him.

Dean grabbed Cas's thigh and pulled it up. He ran his hand up over his ass and up his back. Cas turned himself so Dean and him were both laying on their sides, Cas still slightly higher up.

Dean pulled Cas's head to the side and started kissing just below his ear. Cas was really loving Deans aggression. Any time Dean pulled his hair or nipped at him it drove Cas wild.

Dean reached his hand down and pulled at Castiel's belt, moving him forwards suddenly. He moved his hand to the buckle and opened it.

"Dean." Cas said, out of breath.

"Cas?" Dean said back before he started kissing Cas's chest.

"Should we? Ohhh" Cas moaned as Dean bit him.

"Should we what?" Dean asked, pulling Cas down and pressing their bodies together.

"Move?" Cas managed to say.

Dean stopped. Yes, yes. Yes they should. They should definitely take this to the bedroom, Dean's mind raced at the thought.

"Yes." Dean said, pulling Cas's head down to his own and pressing the sides of their faces together.

Cas pushed himself up from the couch. Dean looked up at him. God he was fine. He hadn't had a chance to see Cas undressed, and he was more than approving of what he saw. He was lean, and his stomach was tight. Fuck. Dean thought. Yes, the bedroom.

Dean moved himself up from the couch and grabbed Cas's hand. Cas moved towards the bedroom and pulled Deans arm to follow him.

When they got inside, Dean grabbed Cas, He kissed him hard and reached down to finish what he had started on Castiel's belt. Once that was undone he started to undo the button there. Cas leaned his body into Dean while he was undoing his pants. This was happening. Now.

Cas pulled back. Dean looked down Cas's body approvingly. He stopped his eyes at Cas's open pants and slowly reached out to pull them down. Cas let him finish taking them off of him and stepped out.

Cas moved his hands to Deans pants once that was done and started taking them off. Dean stood stiffly as he did it, shivering at every movement Cas made with his hands. Once Dean's pants were around his ankles he grabbed Cas and wrapped him in his arms. Dean turned them and laid Cas down on the bed.

Cas shimmied his way up further and Dean crawled over to meet him.

Dean laid his body against Cas and felt their erections pressed together through their briefs. He moved his face down and kissed Cas slowly.

Suddenly things went from fast and heated, to slow and passionate.

Dean wrapped his arms around Cas's shoulders. Their bodies lying pressed together. He kissed Cas intimately, enjoying the taste of him. Slowly he ran his hand down the side of Castiel's body. He felt Cas's muscles tense as he did it.

"Dean." Cas said into his ear.

Cas moved his arms up and held Dean. He pressed himself against him and let out a small moan.

Dean smiled and pressed himself back. Without all the extra fabric it felt amazing.

Dean stopped and looked down at Castiel's face. He thought back to the first day he had seen him, holding the door open as Dean moved his things into the building. His eyes. That had only been a few weeks ago, things had changed a lot since then.

Dean lowered his face to start kissing Castiel's neck. Cas moaned as Dean pressed himself towards him again. Dean kept moving lower and kissed over Cas's collar bone, and continued down his stomach. Dean moved himself back as he continued laying kisses down Cas's body. He ran his hand over the waist band of Castiel's briefs and pulled them down, revealing Cas's full erection. Dean took his hand back up to grip it. Cas moaned out as he looked down to Dean. Dean put the tip of Cas in his mouth. He relished in the taste of it. He pulled back and immediately went in for more.

"God Dean." Cas moaned as he kept taking Cas deeper and deeper in his mouth. Dean loved it. He could feel Cas getting harder, and his body tensing as he ran his hand over him. Cas reached down to Deans head. He moved it along with him for a little while before he had to make him stop.

"Dean" Cas groaned.

Dean could feel how close he was taking Cas to the edge and stopped. He took his mouth away and finished taking off Cas's briefs as he laid there regaining his composure. Dean stood up at the end of the bed and looked down at Cas laying there. He reached down and took his briefs off as well. Cas watched as he did it, loving seeing Deans body this way. He was so big and strong. All Cas wanted was to be inside him.

Dean slowly laid himself back down on top of Cas. Their naked bodies pressed together. Dean leaned in and kissed Cas deeply. Cas reached his hand around and laid it on Deans bare ass. He was in heaven.

He moved his fingers in closer to Dean's ass hole, and Dean let him continue. Cas began to play there and Dean kissed him harder. He was enjoying it. Good.

Cas stopped and looked at Dean. He didn't have to say anything, Dean leaned over and grabbed a bottle of lube from the drawer of his bedside table and handed it to Cas.

Cas took it and looked back at Dean. "You're sure?" He asked.

"Yeah." Dean said as he started kissing Cas again.

That was all he needed. Cas worked around Dean to access the lube he had given him. He poured some on his own fingers before he moved back to Dean's ass. He started playing there again.

Dean moaned as Cas started pressing harder.

"Shh." Cas whispered into Deans ear as he did it again. Dean let out another smaller moan.

"Good." Cas said as he pushed one of his fingers into Dean.

Dean tensed up at first and then relaxed. Cas did it again and Dean pressed his body against his hand. With the added encouragement Cas added another finger.

Dean moaned out again and started sucking and biting at Cas's neck.

Cas loved the feeling of Dean writhing on top of him. He stopped himself though and moved them both so they were laying on their sides, still facing each other. He kept pushing his fingers into Dean and loved his new view of his face.

Dean reached down and took both his and Cas's dicks in his hand. He started playing with them as Cas continued pushing his fingers into him.

Dean had never felt this good. Nothing he had done before could even start to compare to how he was feeling right now. He couldn't think, only feel.

Cas took his fingers out of Dean and ran one around his ass hole. Dean moaned as he did it. Cas knew he was ready and grabbed the bottle of lube from beside him. He poured some in Dean's hand and had him rub it on him, putting his hand over Deans guiding it.

Cas put his other hand around the back of Deans head. He turned his face to look at him. Dean was wearing fuck me eyes and Cas kissed him. He pushed Deans shoulder and turned him the other way.

Cas reached down and moved his finger back into Dean. Dean cried out but Cas held him steady. He moved his head over to bite at Dean's ear. Dean moaned softly as he did it.

Cas took his fingers out of Dean and started rubbing the tip of himself around Deans ass hole. He pulled Deans back closer into his chest before he started to press himself inside of him.  
He felt Dean tense up in his arms and kissed his neck. Cas pulled himself out a little and pressed forwards again, going deeper this time. Dean moaned out as his body tensed up again. Cas kissed his shoulder and pulled himself almost all the way out. Dean started backing himself up onto Cas, so Cas thrust forward harder. Dean was doing well. Cas pulled himself out slowly and pressed himself back in at the same pace this time. Cas felt himself all the way inside of Dean and let out his own deep moan.

Cas gripped Deans side and pulled himself back. He started moving in and out of Dean faster.

He rolled Dean so he was laying on his stomach. Cas kissed Deans back and shoulders as he fucked him. Cas pulled himself almost all the way out and reached down to lift Deans hips to him. He looked down to see Dean on all fours, Dean's strong back and the back of his head. Cas reached out and ran his hands through the back of Deans hair as he started thrusting again. Cas moved his hand so it was on Deans shoulder, grabbing it to pull Dean back towards him.

Dean was moaning loudy, letting himself get lost in the feeling. Cas reached his hand around to grab Deans cock and started jerking it in time with his own thrusts.

Cas could feel Dean was losing it beneath him. Cas got harder as he got ready to come. He could feel Dean in his hand was tensing up, ready to unload.

Dean cried out Cas's name as he started coming while Cas jerked him off. Cas groaned loudly as he thrust himself quickly into Dean and started getting off deep inside him.

Cas thrust himself inside a few more times as he felt Deans body go limp beneath him. Cas lowered himself down onto Dean back and kissed the side of his head.

Cas pulled himself out and wrapped his arm around Dean.

Dean flipped over to look at Cas. Dean had never felt this good in his life. Cas looked like pure magic to him. He dropped his head back over Cas's arm. Cas rolled onto his back and laid beside him.

"Are you ok?" Cas asked as he moved his head to kiss the top of Deans.

"I'm awesome." Dean said in a daze. "You're awesome." He added sleepily.

Cas moved himself out of bed and grabbed a fresh towel. He tossed it to Dean and moved himself back into the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked alive. And he felt so happy.

He cleaned himself up and went back to the bed. Dean had tossed the towel into the closet and laid on his back waiting for Cas to come back.

Cas crawled into the bed with Dean and kissed him and he pulled back the blankets. They both went underneath and Cas laid his head down on Deans outstretched arm.

Dean looked down to Cas. He rolled them both over so he was laying behind Cas. He wrapped his arm around him tightly and kissed his shoulder.

They didn't have to talk. They could hear each other just fine. Their breathing slowing down and growing deeper. It didn't take long before they were both fast asleep.

They slept late into the next morning. Dean didn't wake up until he heard a knock at the door. The mattress, that's right, he thought as he rolled over.

He looked over to see Cas still asleep in his bed. Dean smiled down at him before he stood up to put on a pair of sweat pants. The mattress people knocked again, and Dean noticed Cas stirring at the second knock.

"Who is it?" Cas mumbled to Dean.

"I ordered a mattress for that spare room. I forgot it was coming this morning. You stay sleeping." He said as he quickly bent over the bed to kiss Cas's head.

"Ok." Cas muttered as he rolled back over.

The door knocked again and Dean went to answer it.

"Yeah, I'm up. One sec." He said as he walked towards the door.

When he opened it Dean recoiled as Sam and Jess both yelled "Surprise!"

"What?" Dean said, blinking repeatedly to try and get his calm back. "You're not a mattress."

"What gave us away?" Jess asked and rolled her eyes. "We were supposed to stay at my sisters tonight but she's super sick. We thought we would come and surprise you!"

"I'm surprised." Dean said, still not moving to let them in.

Sam started stepping forward to enter the apartment and Dean didn't move. "Is it a bad time?" he asked Dean.

"Um. No. Kind of." Dean looked back to his bedroom door, still opened a crack, but you couldn't see inside. "I have that mattress coming." Dean said, his mind was short circuiting. This was not how he was planning on having them find out he was gay.

"We can wait with you. Quit being weird." Sam said as he stepped forwards again and Dean let him pass. Jess followed in after and looked at Dean. He had clearly just woken up. She figured that had something to do with his strange behavior and let it go.

Dean felt numb. He was still shirtless, and hoped he wasn't covered in love bites from last night. He shut the door and tried to think. No ideas were coming to him.

He shot his head around when he remembered him and Cas's shirts were still laying on the floor in the living room. That was ok, they could both be his. It wasn't like him to just leave his clothes laying around, but they probably wouldn't question it.

"You quit doing laundry?" Sam asked as he looked at the shirts in the living room.

Ok, maybe they would.

"Uh, Shut up Sammy." Was all Dean could get out.

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked Dean more seriously.

"I. Ok. Guys." Dean started. "Can you just chill out for a second. I don't know, sit down or something."

"Okaaaay." Sam said sitting down on the couch. Jess sat beside him, her face turning down into a worried expression.

"What's up?" Sam asked.

"Dean? Did they bring the mattress in already?" Cas asked through a yawn as he came out of the bedroom. He had stolen another pair of Dean's sweat pants from his closet. At least he was partially dressed, Dean was relieved to see. Cas's upper body was significantly more marked up than his own, Dean silently cursed himself, but he couldn't say he would take any of them back either.

Cas continued walking towards Dean, reaching up to rub at his eyes. Finally he saw Sam and Jess sitting on the couch.

"Oh. Um. Oh. Sorry." Cas said, suddenly wide awake. He had a brief moment of wanting to run back into the bedroom and hide, but he figured that would be pointless since he was already caught.

Dean looked at Sam and Jess. "Surprise." He said weakly, adding a small shake of his hands for effect.

"Oh. Wow. Hi Cas." Sam said, somewhat shocked, but smiling.

"Hello Sam." Cas said awkwardly. "Jess." He added, acknowledging Sam's wife beside him.

Cas looked at Dean. "I'll, um, go get dressed. Sorry." He said and moved forward to grab his own shirt from the living room floor. He turned back to the bedroom, but Dean reached out and grabbed his hand before he could get away.

"Guys. Uh. Cas and I are together." Dean said, hoping that explained things well enough.

"We see that." Jess said, a huge grin across her face.

Cas started putting his button down back on as he stood beside Dean. He felt better not showing off the evidence of last night's intimacy to Dean's family.

"How long?" Sam asked, his smile matching his wife's.

"Not long after you guys left." Dean admitted.

"And you didn't tell me?!" Jess nearly shrieked.

Dean laughed. "No, I was planning on doing it when you guys got here. Tomorrow." He shot them a look.

"Well awesome." Sam said as he stood up. "We can head out and leave you guys alone. We'll go grab some lunch and catch up with you guys later."

"Sure. Ok." Dean said to Sam.

Sam leaned over and gave his brother a hug. Dean accepted it awkwardly.

"Ok, let's go Jess. I think we've intruded on these guys enough." Sam laughed as Jess slowly stood up to join him.

They walked towards the door and Sam turned back to Dean and Cas before he walked out. "I'm happy for you guys. Really Dean." He added for his brother's sake. He gave them a big smile. "We'll call you after lunch."

"Ok Sammy. Thanks." Dean said as Sam closed the door.

Cas looked over at Dean. "I'm sorry Dean, I didn't know they were here." He searched Dean's face to see if he was upset with him. He didn't sense anything there and so he smiled. "I think that went well, considering."

Dean let himself break out into a huge smile. He grabbed Cas in his arms and kissed him. "Yeah, that went well." He smiled down at Cas. "Considering."

Dean was three for three as far as telling his family was concerned. He was on top of the world.

He let go of Cas.

"I'm gonna jump in the shower." He told him.

"Ok." Cas nodded.

"Join me?" Dean asked.

Cas smiled up at Dean. "Ok."


	19. Chapter 19

Cas followed Dean into the bathroom and removed his button down again.

"That was awkward." He told Dean as he looked over his body in the mirror. He hadn't thought to check himself out before leaving the room. Why would he? He believed it would only be the two of them. He saw all the marks on his neck, chest, and shoulders and smiled. He also cringed a little at the knowledge that Sam and Jess had seen them too.

"You're telling me." Dean said with an exasperated sigh. "I opened the door and my brain completely turned off."

Cas laughed a little. That must have been shocking for him.

"Why are they here early?" Cas asked as Dean started the shower.

"Jess's sister is sick or something. They wanted to surprise me." Dean rolled his eyes. "They probably didn't expect me to surprise them back."

Cas laughed as he thought back to when Dean had first asked how he was supposed to tell them. Turns out Dean had had it right after all.

"At least you didn't look like you were attacked." Cas said as he held his arms out to Dean and turned around to show off his markings.

"Sorry about that." Dean said as he ran his hand over the back of his head, scratching behind his ear.

"Don't be." Cas grinned.

"Good, I'm not really sorry anyways." Dean said as he undressed himself and stepped into the shower.

Cas finished undressing and stepped in as well.

Dean reached out and pulled Cas over to join him under the water. Cas took the full stream of water to his face and gasped.

Dean laughed as he looked at Cas half drowning in his arms.

Cas blinked the water out of his eyes and looked up at Dean.

"Sorry." Dean said as his laughter died down.

"That's ok." Cas had barely finished saying before Dean pulled him forward and the water hit his face again.

Cas gasped and shook his head. "You suck." He said childishly.

Dean laughed harder the second time.

Cas was glad Dean was in such a good mood. He knew his experience coming out to his family hadn't left him in the best spirits. Well, that wasn't completely true. Gabriel and Dad had been fine with it. Gabe wasn't even surprised. Mother however? That had been awful. Cas was happy for Dean that his family was being so accepting of him.

"Ok, I'm sorry, I'll stop." Dean laughed.

Cas wrapped his arms around Deans waist. The water poured over them as they stood naked and pressed into each other. Cas felt Dean rising against him as they stood together.

"Um, Sorry?" Dean said.

Cas's body was reacting with his.

"Yeah, me too." Cas laughed.

Dean held Cas tighter and held his own head back under the water.

Cas liked the way Dean looked all wet. He could watch him forever.

Dean looked back down and had water droplets on his eyelids. Cas was pretty sure he fell in love all over again.

Dean turned them both so Cas was more directly under the water and it poured down over his head. Cas smiled. "Are you trying to drown me?"

"No." Dean laughed.

Cas reached up and ran his hands through his hair. He looked down at Dean's body.

"I feel clean." Cas said after a minute.

"Yeah, me too." Dean said reaching out to turn the water off.

They got out of the shower and Dean grabbed two new towels from beneath the sink. The one that he had had hanging was still laying used in his closet.

They dried themselves off and Dean went to grab his sweatpants. Cas grabbed his hand instead.

"I have a better idea." He said to Dean as he opened the bathroom door to Dean's bedroom.

Dean liked where this was going.

"What's that?" He asked as he followed Cas.

"I'll show you, shut up." Cas said as he moved closer to the bed.

Dean loved how much Cas had relaxed the last few days. Cas was smart, Dean had realised in spades. He was normally so formal, it was nice hearing him talk like a normal person when they were alone.

"Lay down." Cas ordered.

"Yes sir!" Dean said enthusiastically as he crawled into the bed to lay down.

Cas looked down at Dean. He was still pink over his shoulders from the shower. Cas moved to sit on top of him. He leaned down and kissed Dean.

"Now." Cas started. "Not that we should be keeping score, but I think I owe you." He said as he moved himself down to Dean's cock.

"Oh." Dean said, watching Cas. "Yeah, um. Oh." He whispered as Cas grabbed him. "No, scores, but sure. Oh"

Cas wrapped his mouth around Dean.

"Holy shit." Dean said quietly as Cas started sucking him.

Cas hadn't exactly had much of a love life. He had a few boyfriends over the years. Some better than others. None of them lasted especially long. He was always busy with school, or didn't really feel like it was something he wanted to put the time and effort into. The guys had been ok people mostly, but Cas didn't love them. It wasn't like this.

Cas looked up at Dean while he had him in his mouth. Dean's eyes were closed tightly, his head facing up. Cas smiled as he went back in for more.

Cas knew what he was doing. He played with Dean. Teasing him with his tongue and used his hand for added help. Dean was loving it. He felt him tensing as he changed his rhythm to suit how Dean was reacting to him.

"Cas." Dean said breathlessly. "I'm" He breathed out sharply. "I'm going to."

Cas smiled, Deans cock still in his mouth. "Do it." Was all he had to say.

Dean felt Cas's breath against him as he said it. Dean couldn't help himself. Cas said it was ok, so he let himself go. Cas took him deeper in his mouth and swallowed as Dean got off.  
Cas felt Dean soften in his mouth. He licked there for a second and crawled up to meet Dean closer to the pillows.

Dean looked relaxed and happy. He still hadn't opened his eyes. When he finally did he saw Cas smiling down at him.

Dean reached up and pulled Cas down into him.

"I think I said." Dean breathed heavily. "But, you're awesome."

"Yes." Cas laughed quietly. "You've said."

"That was." Dean tried to find the words. He didn't want to use awesome again, but that was all his mind could come up with.

"Awesome?" Cas asked.

"Yeah." Dean sighed.

They were quiet together for a while. They just enjoyed their time laying together. Eventually, Cas propped himself up on his elbows over Dean.

"So, Sam and Jess are in town." He stated.

"Yes." Dean said, sounding almost disappointed.

"I can leave you alone, so you can visit with your family." Cas offered.

"No." Dean said simply. "I still want you around."

"I still want to be around. I like your family." Cas said through his smile as he laid back down and rested into Dean.

"How long is Gabe in town for?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, I didn't ask." Cas said, realizing he hadn't actually spent very much time with his brother. Gabe always came and went, it was just the order of things.

"We should all go for dinner tonight." Dean put out like it was a normal thing to suggest.

Cas froze. Dean meeting his mother yesterday had been a big deal. Dean meeting his brother had been a big deal. Their families meeting each other. That was huge.

"Are you sure?" Cas asked.

"Yeah." Dean said, not understanding the problem. "I like Gabe, I like Sam and Jess, and they will probably like each other. Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"I don't know." Cas said honestly. "I just. I don't know. I love you. I want our families to get along, and my mom is already not on bored. I don't want it to go badly." Cas said.

"It'll be fine. Sam and Jess are the best people I know." Dean smiled.

"Ok." Cas agreed. "I hope you all enjoy bird jokes, its 90% of Gabe's material."

"Good. I need to learn a few." Dean joked as he squeezed Cas. "We should get up. Get dressed." He looked down at Cas's body and sighed. "Or not. I would be ok with that too."

There was a knock at the door.

"That better be my damn mattress." Dean laughed.

"I'll stay here. You tell me when it's ok to come out." Cas said seriously.

"Will do Blue Eyes." Dean said as he kissed Cas. He got up and went to the bathroom to grab his sweat pants off the floor.

Dean went to deal with the mattress people. Cas laid back and enjoyed his life. After a minute he stood up to actually get dressed.

When Dean came back in the room Cas was wearing the clothes he had come over in last night. He looked at Dean. "I need to go feed Meg. I should visit her too, the poor girl has been spending a lot of time alone lately. I feel bad about it."

"Ok. I need to get dressed. Can I come up after? I'll visit with the little foul mouth."

"Yes Dean. You can come up whenever you are ready. Do you want me to call Gabe?" Cas asked.

"Yeah, do that. Sammy's gonna call when they finish up and I'll talk to them about it then."

"Alright." Cas said and stopped in front of Dean before he left.

"Thanks again." Dean smiled.

"You're welcome." Cas beamed before he left the apartment.

Cas got upstairs and said hello to Meg. She squawked angrily at him.

"I know, I'm sorry." He cooed to her as he grabbed her dish from the fridge. He needed to make a new batch of food for her he noticed. He figured he would do something special this time to make up for all of his extended absences.

Cas took her the dish and placed it in her cage. Meg ignored it. She was pissed off.

"Don't be like that Meg." Cas told her and reached inside the cage. It took her a second but she eventually hopped down onto his hand. He took her out and pet her on her head. "There we go, that's better. Let's go outside." Cas said as he opened the sliding glass door to his patio.

Once they were out Meg climbed her way up onto Cas's shoulder and bonked her head against him. Cas felt that meant she forgave him.

Cas got Meg a few years ago. She was a rescue from some people who were keeping animals and selling them illegally. Her living conditions had been dismal to say the least. She barely resembled her old self anymore. She was a social creature and he felt guilty for leaving her alone so often.

"Cas?" Dean called from the entry way.

"Deans here." Cas said as he turned his head to Meg, and moved to take them back inside. "That was quick."

"Yeah, I've been putting clothes on my whole life. I'm getting pretty good at it." Dean teased. "You call Gabe?"

"It's been ten minutes, I've barely even said hi to Meg yet."

"Give me the bird, you call."

"Ok." Meg went to Dean without a hassle. She was warming up to him.

Cas pulled out his phone and watched Dean and Meg for a second before he pushed the button to start the call. Dean was getting comfortable with her quickly too. That was nice to see. Cas retreated to his bedroom to talk to his brother.

The phone rang four times. Cas was just about ready to give up when Gabe answered.

"Hey baby brother. What's crackin'?"

Cas rolled his eyes. "Eggs. I get it. Are you busy tonight?"

Gab laughed, even though Cas had stolen his punch line. "I don't have anything going on. Was going to endure some time at home. If you have a better suggestion I'm all ears."

"Dean's brother and sister in law are in town." Cas braced himself, he wasn't sure why this felt like such a big thing to ask his brother. "He was thinking we could all go for dinner together."

"You. Are going to. Let me. Meet. Your boyfriends. Family?" Gabe said, in the weirdest way.

Cas sighed. "Yes Gabe. If you want to. Dean suffered through last night after all. I promise you his family is much more fun."

"I'm there! Text me the time and place and I'll meet you. I have the screech … I mean, normal mobile."

"Ok Gabe." Cas paused. "How's mom?"

"Oh. You know. Not great." Gabe said softly.

"Ok." Cas said again, feeling horrible. "I'll see you tonight."

"Sounds good bird brain." Gabe said as he hung up.

Cas gathered himself before going back out to the living room with Dean and Meg. His mom was a total bag. He knew that. She had always been difficult. Ever since Dad got sick, she had been so much worse. He wanted to help her, but she made it so hard.

Cas left the bedroom and paused. He listened into the living room.

"Bitch" Meg said, and Dean laughed.

"Ok, shit!" Dean said excitedly.

"Shit!" Meg repeated, and Dean laughed again.

Cas rolled his eyes. He turned into the living room.

"Fuck." Dean said.

"Fuck!" Meg repeated.

"Dean? Really?" Cas said as Dean noticed him.

"She's so funny." Dean laughed.

Meg crawled herself up Dean's arm to his shoulder as he was laughing. Dean froze as she did it. When she got to his shoulder and bumped her head against him, Dean laughed.

"She likes you." Cas said.

"Of course she does. She's weird, but we're buddies, right Meg?"

Meg stayed quiet.

"Shit." Dean said.

"Shit!" Meg repeated.

Dean laughed uncontrollably.

"Ok you two, enough." Cas said as he went into the living room and put his hand down by Deans shoulder. Meg hopped onto it immediately. "You need to eat now." He said as he placed her back in her cage. She chowed down on her meal eagerly now that she was in a better mood.

"Gabe said yes." Cas told Dean.

"Ok, cool." Dean said as he looked up at Cas, his eyes still watering from laughing at Meg.

Dean looked Cas over, he didn't seem like he was in the best mood.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked more seriously, regaining his composure after the swearing bird.

"It's mom." Cas said. "I asked Gabe how she was doing and it doesn't sound great."

"Well, ok?" Dean questioned. "She's not exactly nice. Is she ever doing ok?"

"She wasn't always." Cas tried to gather his words. "You know my dad is sick?" He asked, even though he knew Dean knew.

"Yeah." Dean said deeply. "I'm sorry. What's happening with him? Is he going to be ok? I wish you told me."

"We don't know exactly what's wrong with him." Cas sighed as he sat down beside Dean. "He's so tired all the time. They've checked for everything and can't figure it out. He's just." Cas stopped. "I don't know. None of us know. But he keeps getting worse and the doctors aren't finding anything."

Dean felt for Cas. When Dean was with his Dad at the end, they both knew what was happening. It had to be terrible to watch someone you love fading and not know why.

Dean sat quietly and let Cas think.

"I don't want him to die Dean." Cas said quietly.

Dean wrapped his arm around Cas. "I know."

Cas breathed out heavily. "Moms been getting angrier and harder to deal with. I want to see her but, it's just, you saw. It's hard."

"It seems impossible if you ask me." Dean said

Dean's phone started ringing.

"That'll be Sammy." Dean said standing up.

"Heya Sammy." Dean answered the call. "The mattress got here. Yeah the real mattress, shut up. You can drop your stuff of whenever."

Cas quit listening to Dean and turned back to his bird. He really needed to get back to work on his dissertation. He looked over at Dean. At least he had an excellent distraction.

"Ok. Dinner is on." Dean said as he hung up the phone. "Cas?"

Cas snapped back to reality. "Yes. Ok. Good."

"Where were you?" Dean smiled down at Cas.

"I was just thinking that I should get back to work on my dissertation soon. Between work last week and, well, you, I haven't been getting much done on it." Cas looked like he felt guilty for having to say it.

That was ok, Dean felt guilty about it too. It was easy for him to forget the Cas had other things on the go in his life other than just being with him. "I guess so hey. Is it hard? Your whatever?"

"It is exceptionally difficult, yes." Cas could tell Dean didn't understand. "I can explain it to you if you want. I'll make us something to eat."

Cas stood up to go to the kitchen and look through his fridge. He decided to make sandwiches. That was easy enough. Dean listened as hard as he could while Cas explained what exactly his 'dissertation' even meant. Cas could see he was losing Dean, so he stopped.

"It's not exactly exciting, I realize." He laughed and handed a plate to Dean.

"Actually, one second. Follow me." Cas said as he put his plate back down on the counter. Dean did the same and followed Cas over to where, if this was Deans place, his spare bedroom was. Cas opened the door onto a small office. There were books, and papers, and drawings everywhere. Compared to the rest of the house, this room could be considered a mess.

"There is a method to the madness." Cas said to Dean, as though he had been reading his thoughts. "I know what everything is, and where."

"I was wondering why Gabe didn't just stay with you." Dean said looking around the room.

Cas laughed. "Gabe isn't even allowed in here. He's like a tornado. I would never find anything again."

Dean looked at the mess of post it notes and papers spread across the deck. It kind of already looked like a tornado had hit the room, but Dean didn't mention it. Instead, he looked over at a shelf that had mostly books on it, but it also had two shelves of dvd's near the bottom as well.

"These your bird movies?" Dean said bending down to look at them.

"Yes." Cas said as he watched Dean.

"How about I pop one of these in, and you work." Dean suggested. "I'll learn about the flying feather dusters one way or another." He reached out and grabbed one of the cases. He looked down at it. "Not this one. I can't even say this one."

Cas looked at the dvd Dean was holding and laughed. "That one would probably put you into a coma anyways. Here." Cas bent down and grabbed a different case from the shelf. "If you really want to watch one, I think you might like this." Cas handed the case to Dean.

"'Birds of Prey.' Now we're talking." Dean laughed. There were some bad ass looking birds on the case.

"Meg likes that one too." Cas added.

"Ok. I'll watch this. You work." Dean said turning to leave the room. He had a sandwich waiting for him and was really looking forward to eating it.

"You're sure?" Cas asked.

"I'm sure bird guy. Go. Do your nerd thing." Dean said as he placed his plate down on the coffee table.

"Ok. Thank you Dean." Cas said as he took his own plate into his office. He had way too much to do to argue any further, and honestly he appreciated Dean's understanding.

Cas sat at the desk and he heard the TV starting in the other room. After a second he heard a loud. "OOOOH!" And a squawk.

Cas smiled. Dean was going to be fine.


	20. Chapter 20

Cas lost himself in his work. He loved this part of it. Finding something that would lead to finding something else. Making all the connections to create a bigger picture. Even when it was frustrating, and things weren't linking up the way he wanted them to, he enjoyed it.

Eventually he found himself rubbing his eyes. That was the one drawback for him, it hurt his eyes to read for so long. He had grown used to it over the years, but it was never really comfortable.

Cas decided he would go check on Dean and Meg. He didn't know how long it had been since he started working, and he didn't hear the TV going anymore. That meant it had to have been 2 hours at least. He felt bad for leaving Dean alone so long.

When Cas left the room, he saw Dean laying on the couch with Meg on his chest. Dean hadn't noticed Cas yet.

Dean was slowly raising his hand and petting Megs head with two of his fingers. He stopped and poked her little feet. She ran up closer to his face when he did it and Dean looked startled.

"Ok, you don't like that." Dean muttered.

Cas smiled at them from where he was still standing quietly across the room. He was happy to wait and watch until he was noticed.

"Why aren't you out there scooping up dinner? I bet you wanna, don't you?" Dean cooed at Meg while she walked a circle on his chest. "Do you have teeth? C'mon Meg, smile for me."

Cas couldn't help himself. He laughed.

"Hey stranger. How's the whatever?" Dean asked before he turned his eyes back to the bird on him. He didn't feel right not having his eyes on her at all times.

"My whatever is going well. How long have I been gone?" Cas asked, looking towards the clock.

"I dunno, two or three hours. Your eyes are red." Dean stated.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching the clock. I should put in some eye drops, they hurt." Cas said, heading towards the bathroom.

Dean was left in the room with Meg. "I don't see any teeth."

Dean started showing off his own as an example for her.

Meg stuck out her tongue and Dean recoiled. It was weird.

Cas came back into the room blinking.

"What's wrong with her tongue!?" Dean asked.

"It's actually really interesting. Give her here." Cas said as he walked over to the couch to take his bird back. Once he was holding her he looked at Dean. "Don't ever do this, it would most likely end poorly for you."

Cas showed Dean the inside of Megs mouth, her wingspan, and explained how her feet work. Dean tried to follow along, but he was mostly distracted by watching Cas. Dean marvelled at how much he knew about Meg, and how calmly he was able to manipulate her.

Cas finished his explanation and smiled. "Thank you Dean."

"For what?" Dean asked, honestly confused.

"For listening, and trying to learn about this stuff. It's ok if you don't know about them." Cas said as he nodded towards Meg standing on his hand. "But it feels nice to have someone care."

Dean's heart pulled in his chest. He thought about Cas's mom at dinner, and her comment about what Cas does. He couldn't have had a lot of support there. It must have been lonely to care about something so much and not have anyone care enough to listen. Sure, birds were a different thing to be into, but Cas loved it. And Dean loved Cas.

"Oh. Well. You're welcome." Dean said and leaned in for a kiss. "I love you."

Meg squawked.

Dean looked at her. "Ok Cockaroo. You need to go back in there now." Dean said tilting his head towards the cage. "We should get ready to go meet everyone."

Dean's phone started ringing. The screen read 'Sam calling'.

"See." He laughed as he answered the phone.

Cas went to put Meg away. He caught the end of Dean's short call with his brother.

"I'll come open the door. Yeah. See you in a sec." He ended the call.

"Sam and Jess need me to let them into my place. You coming with?" Dean asked.

"I'll come down in a minute. I want to get changed and put some of my office stuff away."

"Sounds good to me. See ya soon." Dean said as he left to go meet Sam and Jess.

Cas sighed as the door closed. He was perfect.

Cas went into his room and removed his shirt. He looked himself over in the mirror.

He felt himself getting aroused thinking about last night. He was eager to do that again soon.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking about that. He had dinner with their brothers to think about. Cas went from excited to nervous in a flash. He quickly changed into new jeans and put on another one of his baseball tees. Dean seemed to really like the last one.

Cas moved around the house and finished getting everything in order. He tried not to worry too much.

Dean met Sam and Jess at his front door.

"Where's Cas?" Sam asked.

"Upstairs getting changed. He'll be down in a sec." Dean told him while he put his key in the door and opened it.

"What were yooou guys doing?" Jess teased.

"Shut it Jess." Dean laughed. "He was working on his, disseration? No, tation. Dissertation. I watched a bird movie with Meg."

"Who's Meg?" Jess asked at the same time Sam said "Dissertation?"

Dean answered Jess first.

"His bird. She's awesome. When Cas gets down here you should ask him to show her to you."

It struck Dean that there was a lot of stuff in his life now that Sam and Jess didn't know. He was actually building his own separate life. It was a strange and comforting thought.

"Oh. That makes sense." Jess said. "So wait, you watched a bird movie with a bird? That's weird."

Dean laughed. "Yeah I guess. I didn't think of it like that."

He faced Sam now instead. "And yeah, he's some kind of super bird genius."

Cas let himself in to the apartment with a light knock on the door.

Sam turned to look at him. "Ph.D.?"

Cas smiled. "Yeah."

"Wow." Sam said, impressed. "What are you doing with this dummy?"

"Go to hell Sammy." Dean shot out.

Cas smiled over at Dean. "An extensive knowledge of zoology isn't always applicable in everyday life. Actually, it almost never is. It's good to be around someone with more real world experience."

Dean smiled back at Cas.

Jess started a slow clap.

"Very diplomatic answer." She laughed.

"What time are we meeting your brother?" Sam asked. "Gabriel right?"

"Yes, that's right." Cas had put on his wrist watch upstairs. He looked down to check the time. "Soon. We should probably get going."

"Autobots, roll out!" Dean said to the group.

Cas looked at Dean and raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Dean dramatically rolled his eyes and sighed as he turned to Sam. "That is why he needs me. Let's go."

They made their way down into the parking lot. While they walked towards the cars, Sam asked the group, "One car, or two?"

Jess answered. "Two, in case this little lady decides to act up and we have to split." She said putting her hands on her big belly. "I'm going with Dean. I can't even stand the thought of having to climb myself into that truck one more time."

"Good thinking." Sam said to her as he bent down to give her a kiss. "Ok Cas, you coming with me then?"

"Yes, I suppose I will." Cas said as he awkwardly took a small step closer to Sam.

Cas wasn't sure what Deans comfort level was when it came to PDA, so he just kind of stood there, waiting for the group to break apart and head to their vehicles.

Cas noticed Sam and Jess were both looking between himself and Dean. Were they waiting for something?

Dean seemed to notice it too. He rolled his eyes at them. "Leave us alone, creeps." He laughed and stepped himself over to Cas.

Dean grabbed his hand and kissed him.

"I'll see you guys there." He said only to Cas, before he turned to Sam. "Be nice."

"I'm always nice." Sam laughed. "Drive safe, you're carrying precious cargo."

"You too." Dean laughed as him and Jess walked to the impala.

Cas blushed and turned to Sam. "That was nice."

"Yeah." Sam said, looking amazed. "I don't know what you're doing to make him this happy, but keep doing it. He's like a different person."

They turned to get into the truck. After they buckled themselves in, Sam pulled out of his spot and followed behind the impala.

This was the first time Sam and Cas had been alone together. Sam saw a prime opportunity to get to know the guy who finally dragged Dean out of the closet. He wasn't going waste it.

"Seriously though, I mean it. Dean seems different. Calmer. Next thing you know he's going to be throwing around words like 'relationship' and 'love'." Sam laughed. "Hell might be frozen over by then, but I can actually imagine it now."

"Dean told me he loves me." Cas said hesitantly. "I love him too. We are in a relationship. I don't know what you mean."

Sam's jaw dropped. He was speechless.

"Sam?" Cas asked, he wasn't sure what was going on.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Yes." Cas said slowly, picking up on the fact that apparently he had done something amazing. Dean was always just Dean with him. He guessed this must be unusual based on Sam's reaction.

"Wow. Just. Wow." Sam shook his head, like the news was having a hard time settling in his brain. He had a huge smile on. "You must be a wizard."

"No, I'm an ornithologist." Cas sighed, "Why can't anyone say it correctly."

Sam started laughing. "Ornithologist. I can say it."

Sam let out a heavy breath. "What I meant is that you got Dean to say he loves you. That in itself is a feat. You're also the one who finally managed to get him to come out. We've all been waiting for it. I tried for years to make him see the light, and it was not happening. I'm really glad we met you Cas."

Cas wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. He felt really good, and Sam was being very kind to him. He also felt proud of himself, but he wasn't sure why. Dean did all the work on his own. Cas hadn't even realized that Dean was making the kinds of changes that he was. He knew Dean hadn't come out to his family, but Cas didn't know Dean had never even really come out to himself yet. His heart fluttered as he somehow started to love Dean more.

"I am glad to have met you guys too." Cas said with a smile. "This is new to me. I haven't felt like this about anyone before. I hope I'm not oversharing, I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Sam was thrilled.

"No, not at all."

Finally, someone who would openly talk without Sam having to pry.

"Dean met my mother, and my brother. Now you guys are meeting Gabe. I've never done this." Cas drummed his fingers against his knees. "I'm nervous."

Sam let the knowledge that Dean had met Cas's mother hit him. That was something else. He looked towards Cas. "Don't be. Dean said he likes the guy, so it'll be fine. Trust me."

"I do." Cas said easily. "Thank you Sam."

Jess sighed and put her head back once she was sitting down in the impala.

"Don't get pregnant." She said seriously to Dean, her face miserable.

"I won't." Dean laughed. "You've convinced me."

Jess smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Shut it."

Dean looked up in the rear view mirror as they pulled out onto the street. He saw Cas and Sam were talking.

"Do you think Sam's laying it all on him? I hope Cas can keep up." Dean laughed.

"Oh, he definitely is. I think Cas will do fine. He needs to learn eventually." Jess smiled. "I think Sam's excited to have someone smart in the family to talk to now."

In the family. Dean liked that.

He realized suddenly that Jess had just called him dumb.

"Hey! Watch it lady. We're smart too." Dean said with good humor.

"I mean Sam smart, Dummy." Jess rolled her eyes.

That was true. Sam loved when he met anyone who read, or knew how to use and understand the big words Sam was always using. Dean hadn't considered that before now. It made him happy that Cas would have another smart guy to be a nerd with.

"He's a genius." Dean said with a smile on his face. "They're gonna get along."

"Dean Winchester, you are in love." Jess said unbelievably.

"I know." Dean sighed.

"About time by the way." Jess pushed.

"What?" Dean asked, his skin prickling.

"You're gay. We've wanted you to say it for like, forever." Jess said.

"Oh, yeah, that. Really?" Dean didn't think he had been that obvious about it.

"Yeah really. I don't mean like, strangers would assume it or anything. I just mean us, family, you know? We love you so much. I'm just trying to say I'm glad. Don't be a dink." Jess said as she huffed out.

Dean laughed. "I'm not being a dink."

He was quiet for a few seconds, trying to think.

"Thanks Jess, I was worried about it. That was dumb, but I figured it out. I'm happy."

Jess liked how open Dean was being. They had always been close, and eventually she got Dean to tell her things he wouldn't normally share. He was offering things up himself now. Jess thought that meant he was making huge strides emotionally.

She didn't want to push her luck too far, he was still Dean.

"So, Cas." She looked at Dean and raised an eyebrow. "He's, easy on the eyes." She smiled.

"Yeah, he is." Dean laughed. Jess was such a dork.

"Oh!" She said, miming like she was melting. "Speaking of eyes."

"They're incredible right?" Dean joined her in her enthusiasm.

"Out of this world." She agreed.

They were quiet in the car. Jess geared herself up to ask Dean a big question. It was either going to go well, or blow up in her face. She held out hope that Deans new demeanor would work in her favor.

"Have you guys, you know?" Jess asked.

"Jess." Dean laughed. "Don't be weird."

"I'm not! I'm just wondering. We did see shirtless Cas this morning." She leaned in towards Dean, trying to press him forwards.

"Yeah, we have. Now shut up about it." Dean sighed.

"Woo!" Jess put her hands up. "How was it?"

"I said shut up." Dean sighed again and glared at Jess.

They were quiet for another minute.

"It was awesome." Dean told her.

As Jess opened her mouth, Dean held up a finger to her. "I said shut up."

Jess closed her mouth again and smiled.


	21. Chapter 21

Dean and Jess pulled up to the small restaurant they had all agreed on. They lost Sam and Cas somewhere along the way, but they couldn't be far behind.

The restaurant was a local favourite. It didn't look like anything special, but the food was well known to be some of the best in town.

As Dean stepped out of the impala, Cas and Sam were just pulling into the parking lot. They were followed closely by Gabriel driving Castiel's car.

Sam was laughing as he stepped down from the truck. "Yeah, I could have done that stuff for sure."

As Cas came around the front of the truck he was still talking to Sam. "It was terrible. I can understand the legal jargon, but it was a very slow and boring read. I am glad it's mostly over."

"Hey guys." Dean said as they walked towards them. Jess was still sitting in the car, she hadn't worked up the will to stand up quite yet.

"Saaaaaam" Jess called from the passenger's side of the impala. "Help meeeeee."

Sam went to help his wife up.

Dean grabbed Cas's hand when they were alone and pulled him in for a kiss.

"How was that? Sam didn't interrogate you too hard did he?" Dean asked.

"No." Cas laughed. "That was nice. Sam is very enjoyable to talk to. I like him a lot."

Dean smiled. "Yeah, me too."

"Ew, guys c'mon." Gabe said as he suddenly appeared from behind the truck.

"Shut up Gabe." Dean said as he quickly kissed Cas again before letting go.

Cas smiled at Dean. He was glad he was so comfortable with Gabe already.

"Unfortunately for you, shutting up is not in my nature." Gabe said as he came in closer.

Sam and Jess walked over to meet them.

"Are you feeling ok?" Cas asked Jess, she looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah I'm ok. Just fat and tired all the time." She sighed.

"I wasn't going to say anything." Gabe said as he turned to Jess. "Did you eat an entire turkey dinner to yourself? Or are you just usually this fat?"

Jess laughed at the comment. "I keep getting fatter these last eight months, I can't figure it out."

"Well, I wouldn't bother getting these guys to explain it to you." Gabe said as he pointed his thumb towards Dean and Cas. They both did dramatic eye rolls.

Gabe stepped forward. "I'm Gabriel, Gabe." He said holding his hand out to Sam.

"Sam." Sam said reaching out to complete the handshake. "This is my wife Jess."

"Hi Gabe, it's good to meet you." Jess said as she placed both of her hands over her belly and sighed again. "Can we go and sit down please?"

"Yeah." Dean laughed. "Let's move it."

They entered the restaurant and were led to a large booth not long after they put their name down. It was fairly busy inside, so they were pleased to be seated so quickly.

After Gabriel had slid himself into the booth, Cas followed beside him. Once everyone was seated Gabe turned to Cas and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"What the heck? Did Meg get you?" Gabe asked, checking out his brothers markings.

Cas blushed. "Uh, no."

Jess piped up across from them. "You should see the rest of him."

Dean groaned.

"Ew. Ew. Ew." Gabe said. "No thank you."

Sam and Jess laughed, while Dean and Cas looked mortified.

"If you're keeping this one, I'd invest in some turtle necks." Gabe said.

Cas laughed. "I'm keeping him."

"Good." Gabe smirked. "So you're Dean's brother?" He said to Sam. "You must be where I can find all the dirt."

"Yep, I have a ton." Sam smiled.

"This was my idea?" Dean asked Cas.

"Yes, definitely your idea." Cas told him.

Dean sighed.

"Don't worry about it Dean, I have plenty on Castiel here to make up the difference." Gabe said.

"That's not making me feel better Gabe." Cas told him.

"It wasn't supposed to." Gabe laughed as he leaned across the table to talk to Sam and Jess.

"I wasn't that bad." Dean said to Cas, as they were cut out from the conversation.

Gabe started laughing hysterically at whatever Sam had told him. He looked back to Dean.

"You didn't?"

Gabe turned back in to Sam and Jess instead of waiting for an answer.

"Neither was I. I mean, I really wasn't. I don't think." Cas said worriedly to Dean, just before Sam and Jess started laughing themselves.

"No, that's cute." Jess laughed.

Cas looked at Dean like he wanted to either die, or punch him in the face.

Dean thought it may have been the cutest thing he had ever seen. He was glad he suggested this.

"Ok, enough guys." Dean said to the others to help bring Cas out of his misery.

Jess was smiling at Cas from across the table. Cas wished he knew whatever Gabe had just told her so he could understand it.

"Ok." Sam laughed.

A waitress came to their table then to hand them their menus.

"Hi guys. Sorry, we are swamped tonight! Can I get you some drinks?"

Everyone placed their drink orders and the small frantic waitress scurried off.

"Gabe." Sam started the conversation back up. "You're visiting too?"

"Yes sir!" Gabe said. "I am currently residing in Detroit, but I am heading over to California soon."

"What do you do?" Jess asked curiously.

Gabe looked around the table uncomfortably. He looked at Cas before turning back to the group.

"I'm and auditor." Gabe said.

Cas loved this. Gabriel never talked about himself seriously. Gabe was also very well educated and great in his field. He would travel around auditing businesses. While it wasn't exactly a popular job, Gabriel was amazing at it. And he got to travel. It really was perfect for him.

"Ooh. Dear." Sam said, his lawyer senses kicking in.

"Boooo." Jess said quietly beside him as Sam nudged her.

"I know, I know." Gabe said. "My work is not a popular subject. Please tell me yours is better?"

"Actually." Sam laughed. "I'm a lawyer."

"Ok, I feel better." Gabe said smiling at Sam. "And I guess you are a full time baby brewery these days?"

"Pretty much." Jess sighed.

The waitress showed back up with everyone's drinks.

"Please tell me you know your orders?" the waitress sighed. She was young, and seemed new. Everyone placed their orders and silently wished the waitress good luck as she left.

"I'm a full time pregnant lady." Jess said to Gabe. "I hear Deans on his way to being a bird man like Cas though, hey Dean?"

Dean laughed.

"I don't think so." He said. "That movie was pretty cool though. There were these birds, the brown ones." Dean asked Cas.

"Hawk probably." Cas said.

"Yeah, and it ate this whole rabbit!" Dean said excitedly. "It was awesome. Or the ones eating the dead stuff."

"Vultures." Cas laughed.

"Those were freaky." Dean said.

"Ugh, gross Dean." Jess moaned.

"You both need some serious mental tweetment." Gabe said, smiling and waiting.

Cas groaned and put his head back.

That's what Gabe was waiting for. He started laughing.

"Dean said you have a bird." Jess chimed in, speaking to Cas.

"I do. Meg. She's a palm cockatoo." Cas started telling Jess.

"She's a jerk." Gabe said rolling his eyes.

"What? No, she's my buddy." Dean told him.

"She hates me." Gabe said, as the waitress returned with their food.

Once everyone had been served the waitress turned away without another word.

"She doesn't like anyone who thinks they can teach her to fly by tossing her across a room Gabe." Cas said as he picked up his cutlery.

"I was trying to help her." Gabe said exhaustively.

"Her wings are clipped, as far as she knows you just threw her across the room like a jerk."

"You were so mad." Gabe laughed as he took a bite.

Cas rolled his eyes and dug in to his own meal.

"I want to meet her before we go. Dean said she swears, I have to hear that." Jess said, talking to Cas.

Cas shot Dean a look.

Dean tried his best not to laugh thinking about Meg swearing.

"You can come up and see her whenever you like." Cas told Jess.

"Cas said you met his mom?" Sam asked Dean, he couldn't wait to hear about it any longer.

Dean, Cas, and Gabriel all groaned in unison.

"That good hey?" Jess asked looking the three of them over.

"Yeah, it wasn't that bad." Dean said.

Gabe nearly choked.

"Not that bad? She tore you apart and insulted your dead parents. It was awful." Gabe said.

"She what?" Sam asked, looking at Dean with concern.

"Ok, so it wasn't that great either." Dean sighed. "I didn't die, so it could have gone worse I think. Overall it was a good night."

"Ahhhh." Everyone but Cas and Dean sighed out, understanding.

"Oh, no. You guys. Weird." Dean said as he glared at them.

"Is it because, you know, the gay thing?" Jess asked.

Cas laughed at that. "No. The, um, 'gay thing' isn't the problem there. She's just mean."

"And she wants you to marry Gadriel, adopt 100 babies, and be a stay at home dad." Gabe threw in.

"Yeah, there's that too. Which I am glad is dealt with." Cas said, sounding relieved.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I'll tell you about it later." Dean told him.

Gabe's phone started ringing. He picked it out of his pocket.

"Speak of the Devil." He said silencing his phone.

"Mom?" Cas asked.

"Yeah. Why's she calling me? You're her favorite." Gabe wondered out loud.

Gabe was right. Cas felt his pockets for his phone.

"I must have left my phone in Sam's truck." Cas realized.

Gabriel's phone started ringing again. His mom was calling back.

"She must be serious if she's calling me twice. Sorry guys." He said as he accepted the call.

"Hey." Gabe said as the call connected.

"Yeah, I'm with him." He continued, looking at Cas. "Yeah, here."

Gabe handed Cas his phone, and Cas sighed.

"Hi mom." Cas said as he put the phone to his ear. "No, I left my phone outside."

"What's going on?" Dean asked leaning in front of Cas to talk to the others.

"She didn't say, she wanted to talk to him. That's normal, Cas is more serious." Gabe said with a lifetimes worth of understanding behind the words.

"Oh." Cas said seriously, and the others turned their attention back to him. Whatever his mother had just said, based on the look Cas was wearing, it wasn't good.

"Yes, we will come right away. I'm sorry mom. We'll see you soon. Love you too." Cas said ending the call.

Everyone was watching Cas and waiting.

"Dads in the hospital. We have to go Gabriel." Cas told his brother as he slowly massaged between his eyebrows.

"He was fine this morning." Gabe said alarmed. "Better than usual."

"I don't know. She doesn't know. She just wants us there." Cas said sounding worried.

"Ok. Well. Sorry guys." Gabe said to the group.

"No, don't be sorry." Sam told them.

Everyone was pretty well done their meals now anyways. They signaled the waitress for their bills.

As the waitress was taking everyone's payments, Dean leaned in to Cas.

"Is everything ok?" He asked.

"I don't know Dean. I hope so." Cas sighed.

Dean reached down and squeezed Cas's hand.

"It'll be ok." He said, trying his best to reassure him.

They retreated to the parking lot once their bills were paid. Sam separated from the group to reach into his truck and came back with Castiel's phone.

"14 missed calls." Cas sighed after Sam handed it to him. "Thank you Sam."

"No problem Cas. If you guys need anything call ok?" Sam said seriously to Cas and Gabe.

"We will." Cas said with a half smile.

"We better hit the road." Gabe said to Cas.

"Yeah." Cas said as he turned to Dean.

"Can you please feed Meg?" He asked, handing Dean his house keys. "I'm sorry to ask, but I don't know how long we will be."

"Yeah of course. No problem." Dean said as he took the keys from him. "Do you want me to come by at all?"

"I will let you know if you can. You know mom, for now I think its best that only we are there."

"Yeah, family stuff, I get it." Dean told him. "If you need me though you say. Got it?"

Cas smiled up at Dean despite his worry. "Yes, I've got it."

Dean leaned in to kiss him.

"Call me?" Dean asked.

"Of course." Cas responded as he turned to join Gabe near his own vehicle.

"It was great meeting you guys." Gabe called back to Sam and Jess. "Let's do this again soon."

"You got it!" Sam called back, as Gabriel and Cas got into their car.

Dean, Sam, and Jess watched as the other two pulled out of the lot.

"I hope everything is ok." Jess said worriedly.

"Me too." Dean said matching her. "I have a bird to feed. Let's head back. I'll call Cas in a bit and find out what's up."

They all separated to get into their own vehicles. Jess went with Sam. She knew what Dean was like when he was worried, and knew he would prefer to be alone right then. She was willing to make the truck climb for him.

Dean closed the door to the impala and sighed out heavily. All the pain he had felt when his dad was sick came rushing back through his heart. He knew this had to be how Castiel was feeling right now, and he wanted to be there for him if he could.

He knew what he could do though, and that was take care of Meg. He took that resolve and started the engine.

It might not be a lot, but he was going to do what he could. That started with feeding the bird.


	22. Chapter 22

Dean pulled into the apartment's parking lot at the same time Sam and Jess did. He met them at the truck as Jess slowly climbed out with Sam's assistance.

Dean was still feeling worried. Dinner had gone well, and he was really happy about that. He wished Cas was here and happy with him, instead of at the hospital with his family. Dean was having a hard time focusing on anything else.

"Are you ok?" Jess asked Dean through gritted teeth, as she tried to use her arm strength to hold her belly.

"Yes." Dean said as he watched her. Jess was having a hard time too.

They went inside the building and got into the elevator.

"Do you guys want to come meet Meg?" Dean asked.

Jess seemed like she was feeling a little bit better.

"Yeah!" She said. "But only for a second. I should lay down."

Dean reached out and pressed the number four on the panel.

"You're sure?" Sam asked her.

"I wanna hear the bird swear Sam." Jess said eagerly.

Sam laughed. "Ok, for a minute then."

They stepped out onto the fourth floor and Dean led them to Cas's apartment. He didn't think Cas would mind Sam and Jess stopping by without him home. His house was immaculate anyways, it's not like he had anything to worry about.

Dean pulled Castiel's keys out of his pocket and found the house key right away. He unlocked the door and went inside.

"Hey Meg!" Dean called out.

Meg squawked back in recognition. Dean was secretly pleased by that.

"Oh wow." Jess said as she walked inside. "This is nice."

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

"Uh. Yeah. He's really clean." Dean said awkwardly as he turned on more lights.

"Ah! There she is!" Jess said excitedly as she walked through the living room towards Meg. "What did Cas say she was again?" Jess asked looking back at Dean.

"She's a Palm Cockatoo." Dean told Jess, happy he could finally remember. "I like to call her Cockaroo."

Jess laughed as she looked at Meg through the cage. "Heya Cockaroo." Jess cooed.

Meg ignored Jess and hopped up to her favorite perch.

Dean went up to the cage. It was still earlier than Meg normally ate, so he thought she would still be in a pretty good mood.

Dean opened the little door and put his hand inside. Meg looked down and saw it. At first Dean didn't think she was going to come down, but then she started hoping from perch to perch towards him.

Meg climbed onto Dean's hand and waited to be lifted out.

"Look at you." Jess marvelled at Dean.

Sam was watching them from further back towards the dining room. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Dean chuckled at Jess.

"This is nothing. You should see Cas with her." He sighed, feeling Castiel's absence.

Dean held Meg out in front of him for a second and looked at her. She was a really cool looking bird. He remembered the things Cas showed him earlier, and found that the way he saw Meg had changed.

He turned his hand so Meg was facing Jess instead.

"Does she bite?" Jess asked.

"No." Dean laughed. Memories were rushing in on him. He felt soft inside.

"Make her swear!" Jess pleaded.

"Ok. I don't really think Cas likes it, but it's so funny, I can't stop." Dean laughed and turned Meg back to him.

"Shit." Dean said.

"Shit!" Meg repeated.

Jess keeled over with laughter. She had to sit herself down on the couch.

Sam walked over and sat beside her to watch the swearing bird show.

Dean went through a few more of their practiced curse words. Meg nailed every one. Jess had to wipe tears from her eyes by the time they finished.

"Oh, she's funny." Jess sighed when her laughter died down.

"Funny looking." Dean said, and Meg squawked at him.

Dean laughed. "I'm just kidding." He told her.

Sam smiled up at Dean from the couch. His brother was holding a huge bird on his arm comfortably and making jokes with it. He was amazed at what the last few weeks had done to him.

"We need to get you to bed." Sam said to his wife.

"Yes. I know." Jess responded. "Help me up."

Sam helped his wife up from the couch. The pregnancy had been hitting her hard in the last week. They were coming closer to their due date, and every day seemed to be more of a struggle for her.

"Thanks Dean." Jess said tiredly as her and Sam walked towards the door. Dean called to Sam and tossed him his house keys.

"I'm gonna stay up here for a little bit. Hang out with Meg while she eats. Maybe call Cas." He told them.

"Sure man. We've got it from here. Take your time." Sam told him. He knew how worried Dean must be, and Sam could tell being with Meg was making him feel better.

The door closed behind them and Dean turned Meg back around to face him.

"It's just me and you, Cockaroo." Dean sighed as he looked at Meg.

Meg climbed herself up Dean's arm and stood on his shoulder instead. She bonked her head on his.

"Thanks Meg." Dean said to her as he sat down on the couch. "You probably noticed I'm not Cas."

"Cas-Chell." Meg said.

Dean smiled. "Yeah, Castiel."

"I hope he's doing ok." He told Meg.

Dean reached his opposite hand up to take her off his shoulder. She went to it easily.

Dean set Meg down on the couch and went to grab her food dish. He wasn't sure if that was allowed, but he wouldn't be long.

He came back with the dish and saw that Meg had jumped herself over to the coffee table. He placed the food down where she was. She started eating happily so Dean left her to finish it.

Dean looked around the apartment. He wanted to go and see Cas's room. He hadn't actually been in there yet. Dean wasn't sure if that was a violation of privacy, so he struggled with it for a minute. Eventually, he decided Cas wasn't going to mind.

Dean walked over to Castiel's bedroom door and opened it. The bedroom was similar to the rest of the house, but this room seemed warmer. Cas had a grey and blue comforter on his perfectly made bed. Dean smiled, he could have guessed Cas made his bed every day.

Dean went further in and saw that Cas had a dresser and book shelf in the room. He didn't have to look in the drawers to know any clothes there would be neatly folded. The shelf was covered in books and small trinkets. There was a photo on one of the highest shelves. Dean reached up to bring it down to him.

The picture was of Castiel and Gabe on what looked to be Cas's graduation day. They both looked a lot younger. Gabe had his arm around Cas's shoulder and was pulling him in. They both had huge smiles on their faces. Dean liked this picture, he could see why Cas kept it.

Dean carefully placed the frame back on the shelf. He sat down on Cas's bed and turned on the bedside light.

The small table also had a book on it. "The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty" Dean read on the cover. He shrugged, he couldn't even start to imagine what that could be about.

He walked over and turned off the main light in the room, leaving only the lamp light. Dean checked out the door and saw Meg still happily chowing away on the coffee table. He turned back into the room and flopped himself down on Cas's bed.

He was overcome with the smell of Cas. Dean flipped himself over and placed his head down on the pillow. He missed him, and he was worried about him. He wanted to call, but didn't want to interfere while Cas was with his family.

Castiel would call if he could, Dean knew that.

Dean laid on the bed and just breathed. He felt calm here.

He found his mind wandering. He thought about the dinner tonight, and why it was cut short. When he noticed that made him feel sad, he moved on to think about Cas, and the cute face he made at dinner. It made Dean smile all over again.

He thought about Sam, and Jess, and how great they had been. They were so happy for him. Dean was feeling amazing these days. Cas made him feel amazing.  
That turned Dean's mind over to dirtier things.

Yeah, Cas made him feel amazing.

Dean sighed. His mind started playing through times him and Cas had been together. Dean loved him so much. Dean didn't notice how heavy his eyes were getting, and eventually he fell asleep.

Dean woke up with a start when he heard his phone ringing. He looked around. He was still in Castiel's room.

Shit, he fell asleep.

Meg.

Shit.

Dean sprung up out of the bed and looked for his phone. It had just stopped ringing. He discovered that it had fallen out of his pocket, and was hidden in a fold on the bedspread.

Dean looked at the screen and saw one missed call from Castiel Novak. He pushed the call back button and held the phone to his ear while he went out to look for Meg.

"Cockaroo?" Dean called out while the phone was ringing.

"Meg, where are you?" He asked the room, as he bent down to look under the coffee table.

Cas answered the call.

"Hello Dean." Cas said tiredly. "I'm sorry, I must be waking you."

"Uh, no. Well yes." Dean said, as he went into the bathroom and turned on the light to check for Meg.

"What's up?" Dean asked, trying to sound calm.

"I gave you my keys earlier. I wanted to run home and sleep a little bit. Maybe shower and get changed before I head back to the hospital. Gabe is staying overnight with mom.

"Oh. Yeah. When will you be here?" Dean asked, wanting to know how much time he had to find Meg.

"I'm outside your door." Cas laughed quietly. "I should have called ahead."

"Shit." Dean said before he could stop himself.

"Oh." Cas said, sounding confused.

"No, not you. Sorry." Dean sighed.

"Shit!" Dean heard from somewhere behind him.

"Are you at my place?" Cas asked, after hearing his cursing bird in the background.

"Yeah. Um, I am. Come up, I'll open the door." Dean said as he went back into the living room to continue searching for Meg.

"Alright." Cas said slowly. He could sense something was wrong. "I'll see you in a second." He said as the call ended.

Ok, Dean had to find the bird now. He looked around the room and still wasn't seeing her.

"Shit." Dean said into the living room.

Cas opened the door and walked inside.

"Dean?" Cas asked cautiously.

"Shit!" Meg said, and walked out from underneath her cage.

Dean physically relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

"You lost her, didn't you?" Cas asked, smiling bigger than he had all night.

"I. Well." Dean said as he walked over to pick up Meg. "Yeah, ok, I lost her. But I found her." Dean said, holding her up as if to prove that she was really there.

Cas laughed. "It's alright. What are you doing here?"

Cas walked over towards Dean and took Meg onto his own hand. He moved her to sit up on his shoulder. She moved over to lay her head against his.

Dean felt awkward. He hadn't meant to fall asleep.

"I brought Sam and Jess up here to show them Megs swearing trick." Dean told him.

"Dean, that's not a trick." Cas laughed.

Dean smiled, "I think it is. Anyways, they left, and I was hanging out with Cockaroo here. Then I fed her outside her cage and I went into your room."

Dean waited to see if Cas would be upset.

"Ok" Cas said slowly, clearly not bothered.

"I laid down and fell asleep. Then you called, and I lost Meg."

Cas beamed at Dean.

"You're funny." Cas said softly.

Dean felt better. He noticed how tired Cas looked once he was done being too nervous about Cas being angry with him to focus.

"How are you?" Dean asked.

"Tired. Sad. I missed you." Cas sighed. He reached up to take Meg down from his shoulder and put her back in her cage.

"I missed you." Dean said as Cas turned back around to face him.

"Can you stay?" Cas asked.

"Yeah." Dean said, stepping forward and hugging Cas.

Cas melted in his arms. He had felt tense ever since his mother called.

Dean's crazy antics with Meg, and this moment right now, were the first times he felt better all night.

"Thank you Dean." Cas said to Deans chest.

Dean kissed the top of Cas's head.

"Let's go. I'll lock up." Dean told him.

Cas left to go into the bedroom. Dean locked the front door and turned out the lights.

"Night Meg." He said before he went to join Cas.

Dean could hear Cas brushing his teeth in the bathroom. Dean wondered if it would be too forward to bring a toothbrush upstairs.

Cas opened the bathroom door wider while he was brushing. He held up his other hand to indicate one second to Dean, and reached under the sink. He pulled out a packaged toothbrush and tossed it over to him.

Dean guessed that answered that question.

Cas finished brushing his teeth and looked at Dean. "The dentist always gives me one. I have tons."

Dean smiled. Cas would also be the kind of person who made regular dentist appointments.

"Thanks." Dean said, and he went over to brush his teeth as well.

Cas undressed down to his underwear and climbed into bed. He was feeling drained. The day felt a lot longer than it actually was.

The room was still only lit with the bed side lamp from when Dean was in there earlier.

Dean crawled under the covers beside Cas and placed his arm under Cas's head.

"I didn't think I was going to see you tonight." Dean smiled at Cas. "What time is it?"

"Around midnight." Cas told him.

Dean couldn't believe he slept so long. "Jeeze. I passed out."

"Apparently." Cas laughed softly.

"How is everything? How's your dad?" Dean asked more seriously.

Cas sighed. "Can I tell it to you in point form? I really don't want to think about it anymore."

"Point form works, hit me."

"Dads sick. They don't know why. It's bad. Moms all over the place, and it's hard for us to keep up. Mostly it's been sad and worrisome." Cas said heavily.

Dean kissed Cas's head. "I'm sorry."

"I'm glad to be home." Cas sighed and turned to lay more directly against Dean. "I have to go back in the morning. Gabriel will die if I don't."

Dean laughed.

"Ok." Dean said, and he rolled himself so they were face to face. "That's honorable, I can live with that."

Cas smiled at Dean.

They started kissing. It had started softly, but was growing onto something more passionate. Dean ran his hand up Cas's thigh and continued to his waist.

Cas moved himself in closer to Dean, and Dean pulled Cas up onto him. Cas reached over and hit the light beside them. He moved back in to meet Dean.

Cas just had a long day. He needed this.

Dean moved his hands so they were both holding Cas's ass. Dean's mouth had moved over to Cas's neck.

Cas laughed. "Be careful this time. I don't want to explain it tomorrow."

Dean smiled against Cas's skin. "Ok." Dean said without lifting his lips from Cas's neck. He kissed him there softly instead.

Cas shivered and Dean did it again. Cas raised himself up a little bit and moved himself so he was back over beside Dean, face to face.

"You ok?" Dean asked him.

"Yes." Cas smiled and kissed him.

Cas reached down under the covers and started taking off his boxers. It didn't take long for Dean to join him. When he was finished Dean reached out and rubbed Cas's thigh before he wrapped his hand around Cas's erection.

Cas moaned as Dean continued stroking him.

Dean loved the sounds Cas made.

Cas rolled onto his back and relaxed himself back. Dean was happy to do the work. All he wanted was to make Cas feel better. Besides, Dean had already slept, Cas was exhausted.

"Do you have?" Dean started.

"Over there." Cas turned his head towards the further beside table.

Dean reached over and grabbed a small bottle of lube from the drawer.

He put some on his hand and turned his attention back to Cas.

"Dean." Cas moaned.

Dean shushed him. He wanted Cas to just lay back and enjoy himself. Cas got the message and let Dean continue.

Dean kissed Castiel's neck and pressed himself against him while he continued giving him the hand job. Cas was able to let his mind go and just enjoy it. Dean was so good to him.

Eventually Cas let himself go. Dean loved the feeling of Cas getting off beneath him.

Cas sighed. "Thank you Dean. You're the best."

"You are." Dean said as he kissed the side of Cas's head. "I'll clean up, you stay."

Cas sighed. "Ok."

Dean went to the bathroom and returned to clean up.

Cas laid in the bed and watched as Dean took care of him. Cas thought about how wonderful his life had been since the first day he met Dean. It was as if his heart was finally awake.

Dean returned to bed.

"I love you." He told Cas, as he wrapped him in his arms.

"I love you too." Cas sighed and leaned back into Deans embrace.

Cas fell asleep almost immediately. Dean laid awake holding him for quite a while longer. He wasn't as tired, he had already gotten quite a bit of sleep. He loved holding Cas, so he was content to just lay with him.

Eventually, Dean's eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep as well.


	23. Chapter 23

Dean woke up when he heard the bathroom door open. Cas was only wearing a towel, he had just gotten out of the shower.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Cas apologized.

"It's ok." Dean said sleepily. "What time is it?"

"Seven. I need to go and relieve Gabe soon." Cas told him.

"Seven." Dean grumbled. "Gross."

"I agree. I feel better now that I had some sleep" Cas said, sounding relieved.

"That's good." Dean mumbled into his pillow.

Cas smiled over at Dean. He walked through the room to his dresser and grabbed some clothes. He took a shirt down from the closet as he headed back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Dean heard the door close again quietly and turned onto his back. He ran his hands through his hair and shook his head to wake himself up. He should get up too and help Cas out.

Dean got up out of bed, and put on his boxers and jeans from yesterday. He went out into the kitchen and started making coffee.

"Good morning Cockaroo." Dean called over to Meg once he was feeling more awake.

Meg gave him a squawk in response.

When the pot was almost finished brewing, Cas came out from the bedroom. Dean admired how put together he looked for someone who had so little sleep.

"You look good." Dean said to Cas, looking him over.

"You too." Cas smiled widely at Dean, who was standing shirtless in his kitchen.

Dean laughed. "I made coffee."

"Would it be too much if I just put cream in the carafe and drank it that way? I have a feeling I'm going to be running off the stuff for a while." Cas sighed.

"Yeah, that'd be weird." Dean laughed, as he reached into the cupboard where Cas kept his mugs.

Dean made them both their coffees and handed Castiel his.

"Thank you Dean." Cas said as he took it. He walked over and sat himself down at the dining room table.

Dean pulled out a chair and joined him.

"Did Jess like Meg's trick?" Cas asked, sighing through the word trick.

Dean laughed. "Yeah, she loved it. She was crying she was laughing so hard."

"Good." Cas said, as he raised his mug back up to his mouth.

"You in for a long day?" Dean asked.

"Yes. Probably." Cas set his cup down on the table. "Dads been in the hospital before. Recently actually, maybe five months ago." Cas tried to count back mentally to check his facts. "Yeah, five months ago."

"And they didn't figure anything out?" Dean asked, even though he knew they hadn't.

"No. He's just really tired all the time, and he keeps losing weight. They've checked for every cancer possible, but every test comes back clean." Cas sighed. "Dad says his batteries are just wearing out."

"He sounds like he has an ok attitude about it." Dean remarked.

"He does." Cas smiled. "He thinks he used up all of his power by thinking so hard." Cas laughed softly. "I don't think the doctors are buying it."

"Well, what do they know?" Dean smiled.

"That's what he says too." Cas laughed.

"He sounds nice." Dean said, he would love to meet him.

"He is. He's the best, and by far the smartest man I've ever known." Cas told him.

"Is it rude to ask how he can get along with your mom?" Dean asked hesitantly.

"Yes, probably, but I don't mind. She's different with him. She was different before dad made so much money, and before he got sick. Not exactly pleasant, she was always very strict, but she wasn't mean the way she is now. When I was little she would take me to the park to watch the birds." Cas smiled, but there was a hint of sadness behind it. "Those were my favorite times."

"She seems like a force of nature. You guys turned out great, so she must have been doing something right." Dean said as he reached out to hold Cas's hand across the table.

Cas beamed at Dean. "You're sweet."

"Obviously." Dean rolled his eyes.

That made Cas laugh again. Cas looked down at his watch. It was almost eight, he had to get going to the hospital.

"You have to go don't you?" Dean asked, as he watched Cas checking the time.

"Yes, I do." Cas told him. He picked his coffee back up and finished what was left.

"I think I gave Meg the rest of her food last night." Dean told Cas.

"Damn." Cas muttered. "I forgot. I was supposed to make another batch, I got distracted."

"You make her food?" Dean asked surprised.

"Yes, I spoil her." Cas laughed.

"I can do that today if you tell me how. Jess will help me so I don't screw it up." Dean offered.

"Really?" Cas still wasn't used to having someone around who would help him.

"Yeah really, just make sure I don't poison her." Dean laughed.

"With the ingredients involved, that would be very hard to do." Cas told him. "Here."

Cas got up and went into a drawer in his kitchen. He pulled out a small box and flipped through some cards inside.

"This one would be good." Cas said as he pulled out the recipe card fully. "I keep her little dishes in there." He pointed up to a cupboard. "The rest I put in Tupperware and freeze. That's over there." Cas pointed to a deep drawer.

"Ok. I'll figure it out. Gimmie that." Dean said, holding out his hand.

Cas handed him the card and kissed him.

"Thank you." Cas said, and went to put on his shoes.

"No problem. Can I call you in a bit? Or you can call me when you get a chance." Dean asked.

"Yes. I will call you when I can." Cas told him as he stood back up. "You have my keys somewhere?"

"Yep." Dean said.

"Ok. I love you. Thank you again. I will call you soon." Cas said as he went to leave.

"Wait!" Dean said, standing up. He walked to the door and kissed Cas. "Hang in there, I love you too."

Cas smiled and went out the door.

Dean turned back around once the door was closed and looked at the card on the table. He could do this. Jess would help.

He realised he should probably head home and see Sam and Jess. They were the type to be up early like this. Dean went back into Cas's bedroom and picked up his shirt. Once he was dressed he grabbed the card off the table and said bye to Meg.

"Bye Meg." Dean called out.

"Eye!" Meg called back.

Dean laughed. She was awesome.

Dean locked the door behind him as he left and headed down to his own apartment. He came up to his door and remembered he didn't have his keys.

He knocked on his door and waited. Sam answered it right away and let him in.

"Good morning stranger." Jess smiled.

"How was your night?" Sam asked with a teasing tone to his voice.

"Shut up." Dean said as he closed the door.

Sam and Jess both laughed.

"Why didn't you come home? I thought Cas was at the hospital?" Sam asked, dropping the sass.

"He came home around midnight. I fell asleep in his bed. I lost Meg. It was the worst." Dean moaned.

"What?!" Jess exclaimed.

"Calm down, I found her." Dean said, shaking his head.

"How did you manage that? Doesn't she live in a cage?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I fell asleep before I put her back. I was freaking out." Dean laughed.

Sam and Jess were both laughing at Dean.

"Speaking of Meg, Jess. Can you help me?" Dean asked her.

"Of course. With what?" Jess asked curiously.

Dean pulled the little card Cas had given him out of his pocket.

"Cas makes Meg's food himself, and he's out. He forgot to make more with everything that been going on. I said I would do it, but you should help me so I don't screw it up."

Jess laughed. "Sure, let's see" She said holding out her hand.

Dean passed her the small recipe card.

"Ok. This will be easy. We will need to run to the store." Jess said looking over the card. "I somehow doubt you have food this healthy on hand."

"We were going to go to Bobby's today." Sam reminded Jess.

"Oh yeah, of course. Why don't we stop at the store on our way there and we can make this with Karen at their place?" Jess asked Dean.

Dean loved that idea. Between Jess and Karen there was no way the food was going to turn out badly.

"Yes. That sounds perfect." Dean said. "Let me get ready and we can head out."

Dean went into his room and got into the shower.

Cas left the building and got into his car. The sun was making its steady climb upwards and shining brightly, it was going to be a nice day. He was really hoping that there would be better news waiting for him when he got to the hospital.

Cas put his key in the ignition and started the car. He flinched as he did it, he still expected the car to start screaming. It was always a pleasant surprise when it was quiet. Dean knew what he was doing, Cas reminded himself, as he backed out of his parking spot.

He was getting used to driving again. Cas enjoyed how much easier it was to get around when he could just take himself where he needed to go.

Cas started thinking about his mother's disgust at Deans job. What did she know? Cas was driving his once again quiet car because Dean knew how to fix it. She didn't have to like what he did, he was good at it and he liked it, so it didn't matter.

Cas was glad when Gabe offered to stay overnight at the hospital with their parents. Gabriel could tell that Cas was still upset with how their mom had behaved towards Dean the other night. He certainly couldn't blame him. Their mother was acting as though she had done nothing wrong, and that only served to make Cas more upset with her.

He could feel himself getting worked up again when he thought about it, so Cas decided to change his train of thought.

It was nice of Dean to offer to make Meg's chop. It wasn't especially difficult, just a little bit time consuming. Cas was confident it was going to go well for him.

Cas smiled as he drove, Dean was a much nicer direction for his mind. Cas was used to being alone, and it didn't bother him. He lived a solidary life style, and he wasn't especially complicated. He didn't normally find himself feeling lonely, he had his mind and his work to occupy him. Now that he had Dean in his life, he wondered how he had gotten on for so long without him.

Cas pulled into the hospitals parking lot and went to feed the meter. He hated the hospital. The way it smelled made him feel nauseous, and everyone there was always having a bad day.

Cas sighed as he went through the front doors. He entered the elevator and went up to the third floor where his dad was. Cas was glad that at least his dad had a private room. He didn't have to see and hear other sick people when he visited.

He stepped out of the elevator and used some of the antibacterial foam on his hands. He imagined all of the sickness around him as a physical thing and cringed.

"Cas! Over here." Gabe called out when he saw his brother.

Cas walked over to meet him.

"How's he doing?" Cas asked.

"Better. They still don't know anything, but he's not hooked up to as many machines."

"That's a relief." Cas said relaxing. "Is he awake?"

"He was. He's resting again, but he was up and talking earlier." Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose. "Speaking of resting, I have had about as much of mom and this place as I can handle. I need to grab a few hours and restart my brain."

"Yes, of course. Thank you again Gabriel. I feel much better." Cas said, handing Gabe his car keys.

"No sweat baby bird. I'll be back this afternoon." Gabe said through a yawn. He reached his hand up to Castiel's head and messed his hair around.

Cas reached his own hands up to fix it. "Go away." Cas groaned, making Gabe laugh.

"You got it." Gabe said as he went over to the elevator.

Cas sighed as his brother left. He had to go and find his mother now.

He walked down the hallway and turned to go up towards their father's room. He found his mom sitting in one of the large sofas in the waiting area. She looked tired. Cas felt for her, she was one of the many people here having a bad day.

"Hey mom." Cas said as he approached her.

"Castiel. Come here." She said tiredly and patted the seat beside her.

Cas sat himself down beside his mom and took her hand.

"Gabe said dad's doing better today?" He asked her.

"Yes. Much better. They are talking about letting him come home tonight. We will have to wait and see." She sighed.

"You should get some rest yourself." Cas told her. "Have you slept at all?"

"No, not really. I can't when he's here like this, you know that Castiel." His mom said with an edge to her voice.

"Yes I do." Cas agreed, letting her attitude roll off his shoulders.

Gale took a deep breath and slowly released it. "You look well rested." She said looking Cas over.

"Well, compared to you guys I guess I am. I'm still very tired. Do you want me to find us some coffee?"

"Oh goodness no, the coffee here is swill." Gale said with a disgusted look on her face.

Cas laughed. She wasn't wrong.

Cas wrapped his arm back around his mother's shoulders and she settled in to him. The poor woman was exhausted.

"Maybe your father is right. Maybe his batteries are just running out." She sighed.

"Don't talk like that." Cas said, and kissed the top of his moms head. "They will figure it out. There can't be that many tests left to try."

Gale was quiet for a while, and her breathing slowed down. Cas felt her get heavier against him and turned his head to look at her. She had fallen asleep. Cas smiled. Good, she needed it.

Sam and Dean were walking through the grocery store together. Jess stayed behind in the truck with the air conditioning going.

"What the hell is quinoa?" Dean asked Sam.

"Over here." Sam said, grabbing a bag off the shelf and throwing it in their basket. They had just about everything together now, it was all veggies and grains.

"That bird eats better than you do." Sam bugged Dean while they waited in line at the checkout.

"Hey, I eat just fine. Burgers are the perfect food. You got your bread, your meat, and your veggies."

"You should eat more vegetables." Sam told Dean for the millionth time in their lives.

"Lettuce, onions, and ketchup are vegetables." Dean rebutted.

"Ketchup isn't a vegetable." Sam laughed.

"Tomatoes are, and ketchup is tomatoes. My case is sound." Dean said stubbornly.

"I'm not going to lawyer you on this one, but if I did, I promise you I would win." Sam laughed as Dean paid the teller.

They returned to the parking lot and Sam went to his truck. Dean moved towards the impala with his bag of groceries.

"See you at Bobby's" Dean called out to Sam before he got inside his car. Sam gave him a wave in acknowledgement and got into his own vehicle.

It didn't take long to get to Bobby and Karen's, they had purposely stopped at a store that was near their place.

Dean was glad it didn't look busy on the lot when they got there, he didn't have to feel too bad about taking the day off.

Bobby walked out from the nearest garage and saw Dean.

"What'd you bring me?" Bobby asked as he came up closer. He grabbed at a corner of the grocery bag and peeked inside.

"Vegetables? And what the hell is quinoa?" Bobby asked, confused.

"That's what I sad." Dean laughed. "It's for a bird."

"Oh." Bobby said, not really understanding, but accepting the information none the less.

Sam and Jess pulled in and parked beside the impala while Bobby and Dean were talking.

"There they are." Bobby smiled.

"Hey kid!" Bobby called out to Sam as he stepped down from the truck.

"Heya Bobby!" Sam said with a wave, as he went around to the other side of the truck to help Jess down.

"You're even bigger than the last time I seen you." Bobby said to Jess as she came around the truck with Sam.

"Believe me, I know." Jess moaned. "I'm about ready for this part to be over."

"It don't get easier." Bobby chuckled.

"I would trade crying and poop for the ability to see my own feet again." Jess sighed.

"Let's get you kids inside. Karen is dying to see you two." Bobby said as they all turned to walk towards the house.

"Hey!" Dean said sounding offended.

"She sees you all the time now boy, quit being a baby." Bobby said with an eye roll.

He had him there. Dean shut up about it.

Bobby opened the front door and the other three followed in behind him. As soon as Karen heard the front door opening she shot out from around the corner.

"There you are! There you are!" She said giddily, and came over to hug Sam and Jess.

"And where is your man? I was hoping to see him too." Karen pouted at Dean.

That warmed Dean's heart.

"He's at the hospital with his family. His dad is sick. I'll bring him around next time."

"Oh no. Is everything alright? Karen asked, concern taking over her face.

"They aren't sure yet." Dean told her honestly.

"Well you keep me posted." Karen said firmly.

"Now, come in, come in." she ushered everyone inside the house.

Sam and Bobby hung back and were chatting amongst themselves. The other three reached the dining room table and Karen turned to look at Dean.

"You didn't need to bring groceries." She said, looking at the bag curiously.

"I did actually, I need you ladies to help me out." Dean said placing the bag on the table. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the recipe card Cas had given him earlier.

"Oh. Interesting. Let me see." Karen held out her hand, and Dean placed the card in it.

"Can I get you something Jess?" She asked before reading it.

"Water would be great, thanks Karen." Jess said as she slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs.

Karen walked through to the kitchen as she read the recipe Dean had handed her. She returned shortly with a glass of water for Jess. "What is this for?" Karen asked.

"Cas's bird. He makes her food, but he's been really busy, so I said I would do it." Dean explained.

"That was nice of you Dean. Good thing you know a couple of women who know their way around a kitchen." She smiled at him.

"Yep. I agree." Dean laughed.

"Don't go thinking we are going to do all the work either. You young man, are going to learn." Karen said seriously.

Dean gave her a small bow. "I am ready to start my training master."

"And Jess sweetie, you don't need to worry about this. I can get you some pie and you just relax." Karen smiled at Jess.

"Thanks Karen. My feet and back are killing me." Jess said, reaching her hands to her back to emphasize her point.

Bobby and Sam came into the room and joined Jess at the table. They were still deep in their own conversation.

"Would you boys like some pie too?" Karen asked them.

Bobby nodded and grunted.

"Yes please." Sam said eagerly.

"It's always a yes to pie Karen!" Dean chimed in.

"Not you." Karen told him.

Dean whined.

"Don't give me that. Bird food, and then pie."

"Ok, ok, I get it. Let's go." Dean mumbled as he followed Karen into the kitchen with his bag of groceries.

Dean set the bag down on the counter while Karen delivered the other three their pie.

When Karen returned, Dean had taken everything out of the bag and was crumpling it up in his hands.

"Ok. Where do I start?" He asked her.

"Hand me the grains, I'll do those. You would probably turn them to mush." Karen ducked down into a cabinet and pulled out a large pot.

Dean knew she was right about the grains, and was grateful he wouldn't need to worry about them.

"Grains. Check." Dean walked the bags over beside the stove.

"You get chopping. Just wash and dice everything." Karen was filling her pot with water at the sink.

"Alright." Dean opened a drawer and pulled out the first knife he saw.

"Not that one. Over here." She said nodding towards another drawer.

When Dean opened it he saw that there was a collection of larger knives. He reached in and grabbed one randomly. When Karen didn't disagree with his choice, he closed the drawer and went back over to his pile of veggies. He placed the knife down and took them over the sink.

He began running the cold water. While he washed the food, Karen stood watching him.

"That's too bad about Castiel's father." Karen said sadly to Dean.

"Yeah. I guess he's been sick for a while." Dean told her. "I'd like to meet him, or just be there for Cas, but Gale hates me."

"That can't be true. Who is this Gale?" Karen asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

"His mom." Dean laughed, Karen looked so put out over the information.

"Well, she doesn't know what's she's thinking then." Karen said confidently.

"I know! I'm awesome." Dean laughed again. "She doesn't like that I'm a mechanic." Dean filled Karen in. His pile of clean veggies was starting to grow larger than the unwashed one.

"And what's wrong with being a mechanic?" Karen asked.

"It's not a doctor. She already picked the guy she wants Cas to end up with." Dean picked up his last item and ran it under the water. When he was finished he turned off the tap and looked at Karen, waiting for further instruction.

Karen turned and opened a cupboard. Up higher than she could reach there was a large bowl.

"Would you mind Dean?" She asked him.

Dean walked over and easily reached the bowl to bring it down.

"Thank you." Karen said, taking it from him, and filling it with the washed vegetables.

"That isn't going to work out for her." Karen shook her head. "If you boys are any indication, kids are going to do what they want to."

Dean smiled at Karen. She had been like a mother to him and Sammy all their lives. She knew what she was talking about.

"It hasn't been working for her so far." Dean laughed.

Karen was pleased at how much Dean was sharing with her. Sam told her about Dean's new demeanor over the phone, but she was still surprised at how right he was. She had noticed a change in Dean over the last few weeks herself, but they never really had time to talk until now.

Karen handed Dean the bowl and walked over to the stove to continue working on the grains.

"I do wish you had brought him with you." Karen sighed as she worked. "He was very nice to talk to."

"Yeah, he's great." Dean laughed.

"I mean it Dean." Karen said as she turned around and walked over to join him. She took a cutting board out from another cabinet and placed it on the counter. "You found a good one. Don't mess it up." She picked up the knife and was waggling it at Dean.

"It's been going great. I'm not worried." Dean smiled.

Karen was convinced. She was thrilled to hear Dean was happy. She kept it inside though and continued on with the vegetables.

She picked up some kale and placed it on the cutting board. She started chopping as an example for Dean. Once she had done some, she stopped and handed him the knife. "Do all the leafy stuff like that."

"Alright." Dean said, and copied what Karen had done.

"Good." Karen nodded her head and went back to the stove. She took the pot off of the element and moved it over.

"I'm happy for you." Karen told him as she walked back.

"Thanks." Dean smiled.

"Give that here." Karen said holding her hand out for the knife. She grabbed a pepper and started dicing it. "Like that for the rest." She gave Dean back the knife.

"Ok." Dean said with focus.

"I think you have it from here. I'm going to go and visit the other two. You come get me when you're finished with those."

"Will do." Dean said without looking over. He didn't want to lose a finger today.

Karen retreated to join the others in the dining room.

Dean worked away at his pile of vegetables. He felt accomplished as he watched it shrink.

When he had finally come to the end of it, he put down the knife, and went to the sink to wash his hands. He dried them and went to let Karen know he was finished, when his phone started ringing.

He felt his heart leap as he reached into his pocket to get it. The screen read Castiel Novak calling. Dean answered it right away.

"Hey." He said as the call connected.

"Hello." Cas said quietly.

"Why are you whispering?" Dean asked.

"My mom fell asleep on me, I don't want to wake her." Cas explained.

Dean tried to imagine Gale sleeping. It seemed too normal. He had just assumed she was like a vampire.

"Oh, ok. How's it going over there?"

"Mom and Gabe both said he's better today. I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone yet, and now I'm kind of stuck."

Dean smiled. He wished he could see them.

Sam walked through the door into the kitchen.

"Dean. Wait, is that Cas?" He asked, pointing to Dean's phone.

"Yeah." Dean answered, "What's up?"

"Jess and I are gonna head back home soon. We were hoping to stay longer, but we should probably get Jess home and closer to our doctor. We wanted to know if we can swing by the hospital and say bye before we head out?"

Cas heard Sam on the other end of the phone. He broke out into a huge smile. It was too bad they couldn't stay longer, but he understood why they had to cut their visit short. Jess seemed very uncomfortable. It was sweet that they wanted to see him before they left.

"You hear that?" Dean asked Cas.

"Yes I did. That would be very nice. I can come outside when you call." Cas paused. "And could you bring coffees? Good coffees." Cas added.

Dean laughed. "Yes, I can do that. I'll call when I'm there."

Gale stirred, and Cas froze. He wouldn't even let himself breathe. Once she has settled back, Cas slowly released his breath.

"I should go." Cas whispered to Dean.

"Yeah." Dean agreed. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye." Cas whispered and ended the call.

Awesome. He was going to get to go see him after all.

Dean put his phone back in his pocket and smiled. When he turned back to face Sam, he quickly readjusted his face.

He could tell Sam caught him smiling love a love struck idiot. Damn it.

"He said we can come by, and to bring good coffees." Dean relayed the message to his brother. "Jess is really feeling that bad hey?" He asked with more concern.

"Alright great. Thanks Dean. And yeah, she was feeling fine before we left, but yesterday and today have been horrible for her. We want to go get her checked out, the sooner the better."

Sam left to go back into the dining room. Dean followed him so he could go get Karen.

"Cas said that would be fine." Sam was telling Jess as Dean entered the room.

"Yay!" Jess said and turned to look at Dean. He was looking sadly down at everyone's empty pie plates.

"I haven't forgotten about your pie dear." Karen laughed. "I'm going to go and cut a piece for you to take to Castiel. They won't be feeding him anything decent at the hospital." Karen said as she stood up. "Are you finished chopping?"

"You bet." Dean told her, and turned back into the kitchen.

Karen entered right behind him. She walked over to her pot of grains and felt it. She seemed satisfied.

She took out a large Tupperware bin and began scooping the grains over into it. "Bring those over please." Karen said nodding her head towards the bowl beside Dean.

"Now you just mix them up." Karen said, handing Dean her wooden spoon.

He took it from her and got mixing. Karen went back into the cupboard where she had grabbed the large bin, and instead pulled out a smaller to go container. She walked over to the pie on the counter and cut two slices. She put one in the container, and the other on a small pie plate for Dean.

Dean tapped his spoon clean and set it down. There, he was done. He did it.

"Good job." Karen smiled over at him. "Now you can have your pie." She grabbed a fork and took the plate out into the dining room with her.

"Awesome." Dean said, and followed Karen through the door.

Dean finished his pie and sat back.

"Karen, have I told you lately," Dean started.

"That I'm a pie genius?" She finished Dean's sentence for him.

"Huh, I must have." Dean shrugged his shoulders.

Jess readjusted herself in her chair. She had been doing that a lot, she couldn't seem to get comfortable.

"You two should think about getting home." Karen said regrettably as she watched Jess.

"Yes, I'm sorry to have to leave so soon." Jess sighed. "This little lady just won't quit rolling around."

Dean perked up when he realized they would be going to the hospital soon. "Ok, I should go now and get those coffees." Dean said to Sam. "You guys can say bye and meet me there." Dean stood up to leave.

"Someone's eager." Bobby said quietly to Sam and Jess.

They both laughed and nodded.

"Let's go grab that pie and bird food." Karen said and began clearing everyone's plates away.

Dean reached out and grabbed the ones closer to him. He followed her into the kitchen once they had them all gathered up.

Karen set her plates down in the sink, and turned to put the lid on the large container.

"Wash this and bring it back please. Don't worry about the mess." She said as she snapped the lid on.

"You got it. Thanks again." Dean walked over to the counter to pick up the bin. Karen placed the smaller container on top of it when Dean was turned towards her.

Karen walked ahead of him to hold open the front door.

"I'll see you guys soon." Dean said to Sam and Jess as he passed them. "See ya Bobby!" Dean called out into the house, he wasn't sure where Bobby had gone.

Karen opened the door for Dean once he had his shoes on and had picked the containers back up.

"Say hello for me." Karen smiled up at Dean.

"I will." Dean told her, as he continued towards the impala.

He put the bin on the cars hood for a second while he opened the passenger's side door. He put it on the seat and went around to his own side.

He started the engine and waved to Karen. She waved back before she closed the door.


	24. Chapter 24

"What exactly does he mean by good coffee?" Dean wondered to himself.

He passed a 7-Eleven, and knew that definitely wasn't it. He thought briefly about calling Cas back and asking him, but he shook that idea away as soon as he had it. Dean's stubbornness took over, he could figure out something as simple as coffee on his own.

Dean looked over at the bin of bird food beside him and smiled. He figured that out didn't he? Well, with help, but still, it was done.

He saw a Starbucks coming up on his right, and decided that would probably suffice. He parked in the lot and got out of the impala.

He walked through the glass doors and was instantly hit with the smell of strong coffee. He realized then that he hadn't actually been inside a Starbucks before. He felt incredibly out of place. Everybody there had strange haircuts, and were 'too cool for school'. Dean held back his eye roll as he approached the counter.

"Hi there!" The chipper young man behind the counter said to Dean. Dean looked him over, he was wearing all black. It must be a dress code or something, though that didn't explain why the customers were all wearing it too. He looked behind him at the few people sprinkled throughout the coffee shop. They all had the same black rimmed glasses on, and white laptops in front of them. Dean wondered if maybe Starbucks was a cover for a cult.

Dean turned his attention back to the kid across from him. He actually looked pretty normal compared to everyone else there. His name tag read 'Alfie'.

"Hi, Alfie. I need good coffee." Dean said awkwardly, unsure how to order.

"Well, you're in the right place!" Alfie responded, more happily than Dean thought he had any right to be, especially at work. It probably had something to do with all the caffeine.

"Ok. Good. Umm." Dean looked up at the board above Alfie's head and furrowed his brow. How were there that many options? Shouldn't the board just read 'Coffee'?

"You've never been here before hey?" Alfie questioned Dean. It clearly wasn't his first day on the job.

"Is it that obvious?" Dean sighed. He was glad there was nobody else coming into the coffee shop, so he had time to think about what he was doing.

"I can help you out buddy. What do you like?" Alfie asked helpfully.

Dean relaxed a little and turned his attention to the kid. He was secretly grateful for the help.

"It's not for me, it's for my boyfriend and his mom." Dean said before he could think about the words coming out of his mouth.

Dean felt an electric shock go through him. He just told this stranger he was gay like it was nothing. Only a few weeks ago it had been the biggest deal in his life. Dean braced himself for the judgement he felt sure would follow his statement.

"Oh, alright." Alfie said unbothered. "What do they like?"

Dean felt his body relax back to normal. So far the only person who had been a dick about it was that ass hole Marv at the bar. Everybody else seemed to be totally cool with the fact that Dean had a boyfriend.

Dean wondered again why he had been so afraid all his life. He knew there were people out there who didn't like it. Hated it actually. People who held signs and yelled horrible things. Then there was the feeling that he would be letting people down for being himself, so he always held the truth inside. He shoved it away, beating it down until it was nothing but a small stain in the back of his mind that he could never wash away completely.

Alfie was a stranger, and he wasn't looking at Dean like he was something wrong or disgusting. Dean felt a strange sort of endearment for this dorky looking kid.

"I don't really know." Dean finally answered. "I know his mom doesn't like me." Dean laughed.

"Oooh, that's rough." Alfie said, and looked behind himself at the menu. "We better get this right then."

"I think just normal coffee would be best. Do you have that here? Normal coffee?" Dean couldn't bare looking at all the weird combinations on the boards any more.

"Yeah, here." Alfie gestured behind him.

Dean read the labels. 'Blonde', 'Pike', 'Kenya'. How did they manage to make normal coffee difficult?

"Tell you what." Alfie said seriously to Dean. 'I'll make you my favorite 'normal' coffee, and if they don't like it, you can just blame me."

Dean smiled.

"Sounds good to me. Thanks man." Dean said as he watched Alfie go and start making his drinks.

After about five minutes, Alfie was back and handing the two cups, nestled in a drink tray, over to Dean.

Dean set the coffees down and reached for his wallet.

"Don't worry about it, it's on the house today. Good luck with your man's mom." Alfie gave him a wide grin.

"Really? Thanks. I might even come back here." Dean picked the drinks back up off the counter and turned to leave. Before he went through the doors, he looked back and gave Alfie an appreciative head nod. The kid raised his hand and waved before turning to help the new customers who had just entered the store.

"Nice kid." Dean said to himself as he placed the drink tray on the roof of his car and opened the door.

He carefully set the drinks down beside him, and started the engine. He felt his heart swell briefly with excitement that he was off to see Cas now. He knew he was acting like a school girl, and silently cursed himself for it. He got over it quickly though and smiled. This feeling was still new to Dean, and he was enjoying it.

Def Leppard's, 'Die Hard the Hunter' was playing through the speakers, and Dean reached over to turn it way up. He sang along loudly as he continued on his way to the hospital.


	25. Chapter 25

Cas's heart leapt when he felt his phone start vibrating on his lap. He hadn't bothered trying to put it away after he ended the call with Dean earlier, it had been enough of a struggle getting it out of his pocket without waking his mom.

Cas used the hand that was around his mother's back and squeezed her shoulder, shaking her gently. She opened her eyes and looked blearily at her son.

"Goodness." She said in a daze. "I apologize Castiel." Gail reached one hand up to rub delicately at her eyes.

"It's ok mom. One sec." Cas said, as he brought his almost fully asleep arm back to life with a shake. Pins and needles ran down from his shoulder to his fingers. He answered the buzzing phone in his hand.

"Hello." Cas said, an excited smile spreading across his face.

"Hello yourself." Dean teased. "I'm here. Do you want me to wait?"

Cas looked beside himself at his freshly woken mother, and decided it would probably be best not to poke the bear.

"Yeah, I'll come down. Are Sam and Jess with you?" Cas stood up to go and meet Dean.

"Where are you going?" Gail asked with an annoyed tone to her voice. The shift in weight as Cas stood up caused her to sway on the sofa. It was a small thing, but the disorientation of having just woken up, the sway in her seat, and her son leaving, put her in a mood quickly.

Cas moved the speaker away from his mouth slightly.

"I'm going downstairs to meet Dean." Cas tried to only supply the facts, as to not piss her off.

It didn't work.

"What? Right now?" Gail looked offended.

"Yes. His brother and sister in law are going back home today, and I would like to say goodbye. I won't be long." Cas said, trying to be gentle. He walked around the corner and back towards the elevator.

"Dean? Sorry." Cas said, returning to the phone call.

"That's alright. I'm, uh, I don't know. In the parking lot. I don't see your car anywhere." Dean looked around, trying to find a way to further explain his location.

"Gabe took it. Go towards the front doors, I'll meet you there in a second." Cas said as he stepped into the elevator and the doors closed after him.

Gail stood up from the sofa and walked across the waiting room, and down another hallway. There was a series of large windows along the wall there. She looked out and saw Dean walking through the parking lot. He had his phone in one hand, and a tray holding coffees in the other.

"Nice of him to think of me." Gail scoffed, assuming the coffees were for Castiel and himself.

'Dean.' Her mind spat poisonously, as she watched him. He was taking the phone away from his ear and smiling as he put it into his pocket. Gail looked further down and saw the back of her sons head as he walked towards him.

Why would her boy be interested in someone like Dean Winchester? Gadreel and Castiel had been so close growing up. Gadreel was handsome, and successful. She simply couldn't wrap her mind around why Castiel refused to even try.

Gail had never suspected that her son was gay until the day he came right out and told her. He had looked so nervous. Gadreel had already come out a few years before, and Gail's mind had been made up right then and there that they were the perfect pair. She had been pushing for it for years, starting immediately after Castiel came out to her.

Her relationship with Castiel became more and more distant after every time she tried to broach the subject. She didn't seem to be making the connection that it was because she wouldn't let it go that Castiel was choosing to distance himself from her.

Gail continued watching them through the window. She watched Dean hold the hand with the tray in it out to the side, as Castiel curled himself under Deans other arm, wrapping his hands around his waist. She watched as Dean bent his head down to close the space between their faces, and they kissed each other briefly.

She saw the smile on her sons face. She tried to remember the last time she had seen him smile that way. When she found she couldn't, her heart strained a little in her chest.

Dean was saying something to Cas through his own wide smile, as he stepped back from the embrace. Castiel began laughing. Gail watched on curiously, wondering what could possibly have been said to make him laugh like that.

She used to be able to make Castiel laugh. He was such a happy child. Quiet, and a bit strange, she admitted to herself, but happy. He had a laugh that was like music to her ears. She heard it often around the house as her boys were growing up. Gabriel, ever the joker, was always finding new and clever ways to bring the laughter out of his little brother.

Gail smiled sadly at the memory. It shouldn't hurt, but her heart was longing to go back to the days when her boys were small again. Looking at Castiel now, she was able to see traces of the little boy he had been.

She knew she had been hard on Castiel. Harder on him than she had ever been on Gabriel. It wasn't something she could explain. She expected so much from him. Probably too much. He was brilliant, he always had been. He had the potential to be anything he wanted to be. She and Castiel's father had the funds to make any dream he had come true on top of that. So why birds? He could have been a doctor, or a scientist, or a great politician. He could have made real changes to the world. But he chose to enter Zoology? Ornithology? Whatever, she shook her head, she still wasn't entirely clear on what he did. She felt a pang of guilt at the realization that she hadn't really given him her time on the matter. She had always been too preoccupied with what Castiel wasn't doing to focus on what he was.

She watched on through the window. Dean had raised his hand and appeared to be waving toward a large white truck that was pulling into the parking lot. Castiel raised his hand as well and waved with him.

That must be his family, Gail thought, as she watched the truck park. She was curious to see what the other Winchesters looked like. She may not like Dean, but she couldn't say the boy wasn't good looking. It was the first thing that struck her when he came to the house the other night. She had prepared herself to hate him before he even arrived, but there was a brief moment where she faltered after she saw him. He was a lot bigger, and a lot stronger than she had pictured him in her mind. He had handsome features, and lovely eyes. She guessed she could see what Castiel saw in him physically at least. She had chosen to believe that it was purely an attraction thing, and would peter out quickly.

Now, seeing them together when they didn't know she was watching them, she wasn't so sure.

Gail looked over to the truck as Deans brother stepped out. Castiel had said Sam right? Yes, Sam and Jess, she remembered. She marveled at the size of him. He was huge, but incredibly fit. Good looks must run in the family.

Sam was walking around to the other side of the truck and opened the door. He helped down a much smaller woman, who looked to be about 8 months pregnant. Gail couldn't help but want to know about the pregnancy. It had been a very long time since she had been around a baby.

Jess was beautiful, Gail noted. She looked tired, but she had a very soft, friendly face.

The four of them together down there made a very attractive group. Gail felt a small swelling of pride at how handsome her own son had grown up to be.

Dean and Cas were walking over towards the truck together. Gail guessed they were saving Jess the walk to the front of the building.

Sam reached out and pulled Castiel into a hug, and Castiel accepted it in kind. Gail was surprised to see that. Castiel had always been fairly reserved, it warmed her a little bit to see him bonding with people.

Sam let Castiel go and Jess moved forward towards him with her own arms outstretched. Cas hugged her as well. He stepped back and put his hands on Jess's shoulders, speaking to her. Gail once again wished she could hear what they were saying.

Jess began laughing at whatever Castiel had said. She was nodding her head, and Castiel moved his hands down to place them on her belly. Jess grabbed both of his hands and moved them to where the baby was. Gail remembered doing that when she was pregnant and smiled to herself. She remembered the feeling of the small life moving inside her, and watching people's faces light up and they felt her stomach move with her baby's movements.

Castiel began laughing, and Gail knew he must have felt the baby kicking.

How had her own babies gotten so big? Where had the time gone?

Gail looked down at her own hands. They were beginning to show her age. The skin there was loose, and her fingers were thinner now, her knuckles more pronounced than they had been when she was younger. She clenched her hands into fists, and stretched them back out again. She turned her eyes back up to continue watching the kids outside.

Dean was hugging his brother now. As they stepped back, Sam had his hand on his brother's shoulder and looked to be saying something serious to him. Whatever it was, it made Dean laugh and shove him. Sam began laughing with him. Dean moved towards Jess, and Castiel removed his hands from her belly to let him take his place. Deans hands went to where Castiel's had just been. After a moment, he removed them and pulled Jess in for a careful hug.

When Dean stepped back from Jess, he moved to pick the tray of coffee back up off the hood of the white truck where he had set it down. Sam and Jess both gave the boys small waves as they got back into their vehicle. Castiel and Dean watched as they backed out of their spot and left.

Dean turned to Cas, and Gail could see his shoulders slump slightly as he sighed. Castiel took the coffee tray from Dean and set it down on the ground. He went in towards Dean and reached both his hands up around Dean's shoulders.

Gail watched as the two men stood together, holding each other tightly. Dean kissing the side of Castiel's head.

When they separated, Castiel picked up the coffees from the ground and turned to go back into the hospital. Dean sped up to walk him to the doors. Gale couldn't be sure from this distance, but she thought she saw Dean say "I love you."

Gail's heart sank. She hadn't even considered that Castiel could be in love with this man. She had blinded herself with her own expectations. When she saw Dean was walking back to his car, she quickly moved herself back to the couch in the waiting room. She didn't want Castiel to know she had been spying on him.

She was safely settled back on the couch by the time Castiel was turning the corner into the waiting room. She was trying to get her pulse and breathing under control, so Castiel wouldn't pick up on the fact that she had ever left her seat.

He was carrying the tray of coffee she had seen Dean bring with him. So, one was for her. She felt momentarily bad for the assumption she made earlier.

Castiel was still smiling as he walked towards her. Gail could tell he was trying to straighten out his features, but was failing at reigning in his smile.

"Dean brought coffee." He said, as he sat himself back down beside his mom. He took one of the cups out of the tray and handed it to her.

"That was thoughtful of him." Gail said, accepting the drink.

Castiel froze for a second before regaining his composure. Did his mom just say something nice? About Dean?

"Yeah." Cas smiled as he removed his own coffee from the tray.

Gail took a careful sip from her cup. It was good. Really good. She sighed.

"This is excellent." She commented, before going to take another sip.

What on earth was going on with his mother? Castiel didn't want to ask, he was happy just to accept that she was being pleasant. He took a sip of his own coffee, and had to agree with her.

"Wow." Cas said, as he turned to see if there was any writing on the cup. There wasn't. He made a mental note to ask Dean what exactly this was so he could order it again.

The two of them sat together in silence for a while, sipping at their drinks. Eventually, Gail dared to speak again.

"How was Dean's family?" She asked.

"Good." Castiel smiled. "Jess is very pregnant. They came out to spend a few days, but they had to cut their trip short. She needs to be closer to home for the baby."

"Oh. I see. How far along is she?" Gail asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"Eight months." Cas laughed. "She's huge."

Gail smiled at the sound of Castiel laughing.

"Has anyone come out to talk to you since I've been gone?" Cas asked her. He still hadn't seen or heard from any doctors since he had been there.

"No. Nothing." Gail sighed.

"We can wait. I would like to see him." Cas wrapped both of his hands around his cup, and stared down at it.

Castiel appeared to be lost in his own thoughts, and Gail took the opportunity to look him over. She noticed a small marking at the collar of his shirt, but chose not to say anything about it.

They were serious, Gail was accepting that fact now. She was going to make an effort to make up for her previous behavior to Castiel. It wasn't going to be easy, but she decided she was going to try.

"Gail? Castiel?" A familiar voice said from across the room.

Cas looked up and saw Gadreel standing there. He quickly shot a look at his mother.

"Oh yeah." Gail suddenly remembered that she had contacted Gadreel about her husband's current condition. She had had an ulterior motive earlier when she made the call, and was now regretting it. She recognized the look Castiel had just given her. For the first time she felt guilty about it, instead of believing she was doing something that was in Castiel's best interest.

Gadreel was still a close friend of the family, it wasn't unusual that he would be here to offer his support.

Gadreel walked across the room and the two of them stood up to meet him.

He pulled Gail in for a hug first. He was so huge compared to the small woman he was holding.

"How is he doing?" Gadreel asked, his look full of concern.

"Better today." She told him.

Gadreel turned to face Cas.

"Castiel." Gadreel said, a little awkwardly. He wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to hug him or not. "Is Dean here as well?"

"No, he isn't." Cas said with a sigh. "You just missed him actually. He came by and brought coffee."

"Oh. Well that is unfortunate. It would have been nice to see him." Gadreel commented, meaning every word. After their last meeting, Gadreel felt a certain fondness for Dean and the lifted spirit he provided for Castiel.

"You could call him?" Gail offered. "He could come back and wait with us, if he isn't busy."

Castiel felt his stomach clench. It felt like a trick. Was his mother trying to put Dean in a position for her to tear him down?

No, he decided. She wouldn't do that here, not with his father in the state he was in. Ever since he had come back up from seeing Dean and his family, she had been acting differently. He even noticed a change in the way she looked back at him after he had seen Gadreel standing across the room. He didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling that it wasn't a bad thing.

"Ok." Cas said slowly. "He's going back to my place to feed Meg right now. He made her a batch of food with his aunt." Cas smiled. "I forgot to, so he did it for me. I can call him and see if he would want to come back a little bit later."

"Ok Darling." Gail said with a soft smile.

Cas didn't understand what was happening, but he wasn't about to question it.

"I am going to go and find a doctor." Gail told the boys as she turned to leave them.

Gadreel looked at Cas and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know." Cas laughed.

He reached into his pocket and felt his phone there. He knew Dean would still be driving, so he would delay calling him for a little while. He couldn't wait to tell Dean about whatever was happening here.

Cas went to sit back down on the couch, and Gadreel joined him.

They talked, and they laughed, just like it had been before all the other craziness had started.

Despite the circumstances that had brought him here, Cas was feeling really, really good.


	26. Chapter 26

When Dean got back to the apartment, he went straight up to Castiel's place with the freshly made bird food. He took Cas's keys out of his pocket, and with the food bin securely under one arm, unlocked the door to head inside.

"Cockaroo?" Dean called out.

Meg responded with a very upset sounding screech.

"Whoa. I know. I've got it here, calm down." Dean shook his head as he placed the bin down on the table. He went into the kitchen and took down one of Megs little bowls from the cupboard.

His phone started vibrating in his pocket, but he ignored it for the moment as Meg screeched again.

"I said its coming."

He filled the little bowl and took it into the living room, placing it on the coffee table.

Dean unlatched the cage door and put his hand inside. He probably should have been worried, considering how pissed off Meg was, but he wasn't. He trusted that she wouldn't hurt him.

Meg climbed onto Dean's hand quickly. He set her down on the coffee table, and wondered again if he was even allowed to let her do that. Well, Cas wasn't here. It could be their secret.

Meg dug in right away.

Dean's phone had long since stopped its buzzing. He reached into his pocket and took it out. He dropped himself heavily on the couch while he looked at it. He had a missed call from Castiel Novak.

"Huh." Dean muttered as he looked at the screen. He had just seen Cas at the hospital. Dean hoped that didn't mean anything bad had happened. He hit redial and waited while the phone rang.

"Sorry, were you driving?" Castiel asked when the call connected.

"No. Meg was throwing a fit." Dean looked over to her. She raised her head and squawked at him.

Castiel heard his bird in the background and smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, shut it." Dean told her, and she went back to eating.

"Anyway, she's eating now. I'll work on getting her forgiveness later." Dean continued.

"She'll get over it." Cas laughed.

"So what's up?" Dean asked. Cas sounded like he was in a good mood, so nothing bad could have happened since he left.

Castiel was off on his own in a far corner of the waiting room, out of anyone else's ear shot.

"Something is going on with my mom." He told Dean.

Dean wasn't sure how to take that. Cas sounded confused, but not upset.

"Is she ok?" Dean asked, with a small hint of worry in his voice.

Cas appreciated Deans concern. He took a deep breath and tried to figure out how exactly to explain her behaviour.

"Yes she's fine. She's," Cas paused again, trying to find the words. "Being nice."

Dean couldn't help himself, he started laughing. Was Cas really calling him to tell him his mother was being nice? He guessed it was probably a rare enough occurrence to warrant a phone call.

"Am I missing something?" Dean asked.

"She's being nice about you." Cas elaborated.

"Oh." Dean couldn't have heard that correctly. "Yeah, that's. Um. What?"

"She told me to call and ask if you wanted to be here with us."

Dean was speechless. After a moment he found his voice again.

"Is she having a stroke?" Dean asked seriously.

Cas laughed. "I think one of the doctors here would have noticed if she was."

"Is it a trick?"

Cas could hear the worry creeping back into Dean's voice.

"I thought that too, but no, I don't think it is."

Dean was silent on his end of the line.

"Dean?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I just." He was quiet again.

"You don't have to come. I understand if you're uncomfortable around her, she was awful to you."

"No, I want to." Dean said. He did want to be there with him. It was Gail he was still unsure of. He could always just avoid her if she started in on him, but he wanted to make the effort with Castiel's family.

Dean heard another voice in the background.

"Castiel? I'm sorry, I didn't see you were making a call."

Cas held up his hand to Gadreel, silently telling him it was both ok, and to go away. Gadreel nodded and left to find Gail.

"Was that Gadreel?" Dean asked, a shot of jealousy running through him. He knew it was unwarranted, but it didn't stop him from feeling it.

"Yes, my mom called him. He got here not long after you left."

Ok, what was Gail trying to pull? Dean felt more confused than ever. He ran his hand through his hair, as though he could straighten out his thoughts through the top of his head.

Meg had polished off the last of the food in her dish and jumped from the coffee table onto the couch. She walked herself up onto Dean's lap and looked at him expectantly. Dean reached down and picked her up. She walked up his arm and onto his shoulder.

"How is he?" Dean asked, trying to sound cool about it.

"He's good. He's worried about Dad, but we all are." Cas told him. He heard a slight edge to Dean's voice, even though he could tell Dean was trying to cover it.

Dean let out a small huff.

"Dean? Are you jealous?" Cas asked, a smile spreading across his face at the realization.

"No." Dean answered too quickly.

"You are." Cas said, and then started to laugh.

Dean had nothing to worry about, they both knew that. Cas felt a little guilty that he found Deans jealousy funny.

"Maybe a little bit." Dean sighed.

"Well, why don't you come down here then?" Cas was teasing him now.

"I will." Dean laughed. He liked the playful tone in Castiel's voice. "You're sure this isn't a trick?"

"I already told you I don't think it is Dean."

"Ok. I'm gonna hang out with Cockaroo here for a little bit first." Meg bumped her head against Deans. "I'll head down there soon. Is there anything you need me to bring?"

"No, just you." Cas smiled and closed his eyes.

"I can do that."

Cas hung up the phone and smiled down at it. He put it away in his pocket and took a deep breath. He was excited. And nervous. He wasn't sure which feeling was the stronger one. There was a chance, even if it was slim, that his mother was actually going to start accepting his relationship. Maybe she would finally stop trying to force him and Gadreel together. He didn't want to get his hopes up too high, she was still his mother, and she had a potential for horribleness that he had rarely seen matched. If this went well though, and he really hoped it would, that would be great.

Dean put his phone down on the couch beside him and turned his head towards the shoulder Meg was sitting on.

"Well Meg. This could be the last time you ever see me." Dean said seriously to her.

Meg cocked her head to the side.

Dean laughed and held his hand up to his shoulder for her to climb on to. She went to it without a problem, and he moved her so they were facing one another.

"Gail could be luring me into a trap." Dean explained. "If she is, I can only guess it's because she wants to kill me and eat my soul."

Meg ruffled her feathers.

"Yeah, I feel the same way." Dean sighed.

Dean laid down and put Meg on his chest. He folded his arms behind his head and looked at her.

"Or, she could just be being friendly." Dean said.

Meg squawked and tilted her head.

"That doesn't sound like her does it. I don't know. What do you think?" Dean asked, and waited for a reply.

He thought about it for a second, and realized how foolish he would look if anyone could see him. He was asking a bird for advice for Christ's sake.

Meg turned around on his chest and hopped down to the couch. She went from the couch to the floor, and walked herself over to the sliding glass door. When she got there, she turned and just stood patiently looking at Dean.

"Ok. One sec." Dean said, sitting himself back up. He got the message Meg was sending him loud and clear.

Dean reached out and slid the door open. Meg hopped over the ledge and walked herself outside onto the deck.

Dean stepped out to join her. It was hot outside, but there was a steady breeze that helped tremendously.

Meg opened her wings, and Dean nearly had a heart attack. He thought she was going to fly away, and this time he would have really lost the bird. He remembered that her wings were clipped though and relaxed.

"Don't scare me Cockaroo. I don't think Cas could forgive me if I really lost you." Dean looked down at her with a stern look.

Ok, now he was scolding the bird. Dean shook his head and laughed again.

Dean sighed and walked himself over to the railing of the patio. He leaned forwards on his elbows and let the breeze wash over him.

He was nervous about going to the hospital, and it made him feel stupid and weak. He hated the part of him that needed other people's approval, even from someone as cruel as Gail could be. Dean wanted her approval for Castiel, as well as himself. Dean wanted to be everything he needed, the same way he felt Cas was for him.

It made Dean happy when he saw Cas with his family. He knew they accepted Cas, and were already growing to love him as part of their family. Dean wanted to be able to give that same feeling back to him. Why did Gail have to be so difficult?

Dean felt a small bump against his calf. He looked down to see Meg standing close to him and looking up.

Dean smiled and bent down to pick her up.

He held her out in front of him to look her over before placing her up on his shoulder.

Dean had been nervous when he first met his little buddy here. He didn't understand her, and thought she was a strange, wild thing. Over time, they bonded, and now look at them. Dean hoped maybe the same thing could happen between himself and Gail.

It wasn't going to happen unless he gave it another try.

Dean's mind unexpectedly turned on him, and he remembered that Gadreel was already at the hospital. Dean liked Gadreel alright. Sure, they had a rough start, but he turned out to be a pretty decent guy, once you got passed the fact that he was hopelessly in love with his boyfriend anyways.

Dean felt that small surge of jealousy rush through him again. Something about not being present while Gadreel could be giving his man googly eyes bothered him. He suddenly felt a strong need to hurry things along and get himself down there.

"Ok Meg, time to go in." Dean said to the bird on his shoulder.

Meg made a small sound that Dean took as agreement.

They went inside and Dean closed the door behind him. As he placed Meg back in the cage he felt badly about it. He made a mental note to come back and spend more time with her soon. He was a big part of the reason she had been spending so much time alone lately after all.

Dean picked up his phone from the couch and placed it back in his pocket. He quickly grabbed the dish from the coffee table and put it in the kitchen sink. Now there wasn't any evidence left that he let Meg eat there. He put the bin of bird food in the fridge, he would portion that out and freeze the rest later on he told himself.

With everything sorted out, he left Cas's place and headed down to his car.

His heart skipped a beat as he walked towards the impala. He could do this. Dean and Gail were going to get along, even if it killed him.

"You're certain this is a good idea Castiel?" Gadreel asked. The face he was wearing was not encouraging.

"No, of course not." Cas sighed. His eyes shifted towards the elevators for what felt like the hundredth time since he had finished talking to Dean.

"She was very unkind the last time they met." Gadreel pressed on. "What do you suppose has caused her change of heart?"

"I don't know." Cas reached up and rubbed at his temple. "Exhaustion maybe?"

Castiel's heart caught in his throat when he saw the elevator doors opening up. When it was Gabriel who stepped out, Cas groaned.

"It's just you." Cas said, rolling his eyes at his brother.

"Yep, little old 'just me' here. Who were you expecting?" Gabriel asked.

"Dean. He's on his way here now." Cas informed his brother.

"What?!" Gabe looked like he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of Castiel's mouth. "Cassy, you should rethink your taste in men, this one has clearly lost his damn mind."

Gadreel cleared his throat. "Hello Gabriel."

"Hey man." Gabriel said, barely acknowledging Gadreel. He was still too shocked that Cas was letting Dean walk willingly into the fire.

"Where's mom?" Gabe asked. His mind had instantly shifted into battle mode. His current mission was to minimize the threat and provide any necessary damage control.

"She's …" Cas turned to look around the waiting room. He could have sworn he had just seen her a few minutes ago.

Cas jumped as he felt a hand creep around his waist. For a second he thought it was Gadreel, and was pissed right off. He turned himself quickly and relaxed when he was face to face with Dean.

"Hello." Dean smiled down at him.

"Dean." Cas sighed. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry." Dean's smile widened. Cas had turned around perfectly, so now Deans hand was wrapped around him and on resting on his back instead.

"Hey Deano." Gabriel said. His voice was happy, but there was a trace of worry underneath it. "You gotta be careful with this one, don't want him laying an egg."

Cas put his head down and rested his forehead against Deans chest.

"Gabe." Cas moaned.

"Yeah, you hate me, I know." Gabriel rolled his eyes.

Dean looked over to Gadreel, who seemed to be trying to look anywhere except where Dean and Cas were standing together. Dean couldn't help but feel a small sense of victory. Dean used the hand that was wrapped around Castiel's waist to turn him around so he was facing the other two again. Dean had made his point, no sense in rubbing it in.

Dean leaned forward and kissed the back of Cas's head.

Ok, maybe he could rub it in a little.

"Hey Gadreel. How's it goin'?" Dean asked. He stepped himself a little further away from Cas now, and Gadreel finally looked at him.

"I am doing well Dean. It is nice to see you again." Gadreel said. He still appeared to be little bit uncomfortable.

Good, Dean thought to himself. Sure, he was being a bit of an ass hole, but he wanted to make sure Gadreel remembered that Cas was very much off limits to him.

"What are you doing here?" Gabriel asked. He wanted to understand just what on earth Dean could possibly be thinking showing up here, when the potential for him and Gail to interact was so high.

"Hopefully not falling into some twisted trap." Dean said. "Cas said your mom told him to invite me, so here I am."

"She what? Is she sick?" Gabe looked like he may be having a small stroke himself.

"I don't know, maybe you can talk to her and find out what's gotten into her?" Cas tried to will Gabe to say yes with his eyes.

Gabe knew that look all too well and gave in.

"Yeah. I'll do that." Gabe turned to look for his mother around the room again. This time he spotted her walking towards the group of them.

There was the sound of everyone sucking in sharp breaths. Dean could feel his heart rate speed up. Here it was, the moment of truth.


	27. Chapter 27

"Hey Mom." Gabriel said as he stepped forward to meet Gail. He would act as the first line of defense.

"Hello Dear." Gail said sweetly. She looked like she was in a much better mood than when he had left her earlier that day. That was a good sign.

It went against Gabriel's better judgement, but he stepped back to let her continue towards the rest of the group.

"Dean. May I speak with you for a moment?" Gail asked.

Wow. Ok. So she was going to get right down to business. Dean reminded himself to breathe.

"Yeah, sure." Dean said, walking around Castiel to go and meet up with his mother.

Gail turned around and started walking further away from the rest of the boys. Dean assumed he was meant to follow her. Apparently this wasn't a conversation everyone else was welcome to join in on.

Dean looked back at Cas as he followed behind Gail. The worry on his face was adorable. Dean gave him a quick smile and wink to let him know it was going to be ok. It didn't seem to do anything to alleviate the worry in Castiel though.

Cas stood and watched as Dean left with his mother. His heart was doing backflips, and he felt a little bit like he could vomit. He was scolding himself internally for thinking this was a good idea. Dean looked confident, but he always looked confident, so it didn't really help Cas understand what he was feeling about the whole situation.

There was nothing he could do now. Nothing but wait and hope for the best.

Gail went to the couch her and Castiel had been sitting on together earlier and sat herself down. She patted the seat beside her and Dean sat down to join her. Gail looked over to the other three boys who were watching them intensely and raised an eyebrow. They got the message, and all three of them walked slowly down another hallway.

Gail was pleased with the boy's response, and turned now to face Dean instead.

Dean looked into Gail's eyes, and he didn't see the same cloud of hatred that had been there last time the two of them met, so he allowed himself to relax a little bit.

"Dean." Gail said.

"Gail." Dean said back.

That made Gail smile. Dean wasn't sure that he had actually seen her smile yet. It looked good on her.

"Yes, you can call me Gail. I feel that I should apologize to you. I was, not, very pleasant, the first time we met."

Dean could tell that apologizing was not something she normally did.

"No, you weren't." Dean said.

Gail knew she deserved that, and that Dean agreeing with her at least put them on the same page.

"Can I tell you something, but please don't tell Castiel?" Gail asked.

Dean was instantly uncomfortable with the request.

"I don't know about that. I guess it depends on what you want to tell me." Dean said slowly.

Gail nodded her head. That was fair.

"When you were here earlier, I was watching you two, through the windows down that hallway." Gail raised her hand to indicate which hallway she was referring to.

"Oh. Ok?" Dean wasn't sure what she was getting at. He quickly scanned through his memory to check that he hadn't done anything that would have been inappropriate for Gail to see. He couldn't think of anything, other than maybe a little PDA.

"I don't think Castiel would appreciate my spying on him. He certainly never enjoyed it growing up." Gail smiled again, remembering the few times that she had done just that.

She was looking at Dean like she expected him to say something. Dean had no idea what he was supposed to say, so he nodded slowly instead.

Gail sighed. She could hardly blame the boy for being unsure how to talk to her.

"You make him very happy Dean." Gail said.

Her words caused a warmth to spread through Dean's chest. He sighed out and smiled at her.

"I know my boys." Gail continued, "I haven't seen this side of Castiel in a very long time. I wasn't able to recognise it for what it was when you were over the other night. I see it now."

Dean nodded to her again. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't seem to form any words. He was having a hard time understanding how this could possibly be the same woman he had met a few nights ago.

Gail waited to see if Dean was going to speak. When she realized he wouldn't, she sighed and continued.

"I would like to be able to take back my behavior, but we both know that isn't possible. The best I can do is ask for your forgiveness, and hope that maybe we can start over."

Dean smiled at her.

"Yeah, we can do that." He said.

Gail exhaled. Dean didn't realize she had been holding her breath.

"Thank you Dean."

"Thank you Gail."

The two sat together in an awkward, but somehow companionable silence.

Dean was starting to feel a bit braver, and decided he could try speaking.

"He makes me happy too. You know, I wasn't, out, before I met him."

"Oh? No? Well, isn't that interesting." Gail was surprised by Dean's sudden honesty and openness towards her.

Dean laughed. "Interesting. Yeah."

Gail wasn't sure she understood the humour behind what she said, but she figured there was going to be a lot about Dean she didn't understand.

Gail was about to start speaking again, when a doctor approached the two of them where they were sitting.

"Mrs. Novak?" The doctor asked.

"Yes?" Gail turned her attention to the man in front of her.

"Your husband is awake. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes. Yes, thank you." Gail quickly stood up. "Dean, would you mind letting the others know that Charles is awake?"

Charles. Finally, Dean had a name.

"Yeah, you bet." Dean stood up to go and find the others.

Gail followed the doctor down the hallway and Dean watched her until she had gone inside what he assumed was Mr. Novak's room.

When the door had closed behind her, Dean felt his body go limp, and fell back onto the couch.

Ok. Ok. Ok. His mind was on repeat. That went well. Really well. What the hell man. Ok. Ok. Ok.

Dean worked on getting his shit back together, but it was a slow process. Eventually he sat himself forwards and went to really go and find Cas this time.

Dean rounded the corner of the hallway he had seen the other guys go down earlier. They were standing at the end of it, all gathered together and talking.

Cas noticed Dean first. He quickly split himself off from the others to meet Dean halfway down the hall.

"Dean? Was it," Cas was cut off by Deans mouth pressed against his own.

Cas relaxed a little bit and moved his face back. "So she?" He tried, but Dean cut him off with another kiss. Cas accepted that it was apparently time for kissing, not talking. He was ok with that.

Eventually, they both had to breathe. Cas laughed and tried for a third time.

"It went ok then?"

"Yes." Dean was beaming at him. "Your dads awake."

Castiel's eyes widened, he looked back to Gabriel and Gadreel and waved them over.

"Dads awake." He said to them as they came closer.

"Awesome. I saw him earlier. You go." Gabriel told him.

They started up the hallway towards the right room. Dean leaned in to Cas's ear as they walked.

"Your dads name is Charles?"

"He usually goes by Chuck. Mom refuses to shorten any of our names though." Cas filled him in.

They came up to the closed door of Chuck's room and waited. Dean felt a little bit antsy.

"Should I wait? Or, I don't know. What do you want?" He asked.

"You can come in. I would like for you to meet him. I wish it wasn't like this, but he won't mind." Cas said.

Dean was glad Castiel wanted him to meet his dad. He had been wanting to meet him for a while. Dean couldn't stop his heart from going into overdrive. He was nervous. That seemed to be his default emotion as of late.

"Um. Do we knock? Or should we wait for Gail to finish?" Dean asked the group.

Cas reached his hand out and knocked softly on the door.

Gail answered after a moment and smiled sadly at Castiel. It did nothing to lift Cas's spirits.

"Is everything ok?" He asked her.

"Yes Dear. Come in." Gail told him.

Cas moved forward into the room, and looked back at Dean expectantly. After a second, Dean went to join him.

Gadreel hung back with Gabe, he knew it wasn't his turn right now.

Dean looked back at the two men outside the door and gave them a weary smile. Gabe mouthed "Good luck" to him as Dean closed the door.

"Castiel." Chuck said softly from his hospital bed.

"Hi Dad." Cas said as he smiled at his father. He walked over to the side of the bed and grabbed his dad's hand.

The man was smaller than Dean had expected. He shouldn't have, he realized. Him and Sammy were tall, but both of his parents had also been. He looked at Gail and Chuck, and their children's shorter stature made more sense.

"And you must be Dean." Chuck said, his voice still small, but it carried its own weight.

"Yes. Hello Mr. Novak." Dean said, trying not to be awkward about it.

"My name is Chuck," Cas's dad said with a small laugh at the end. "Please address me as such."

"Ok Chuck." Dean said, and smiled at the man.

"Come in closer please, I'm sorry, my voice isn't what it once was, Chuck said softly, and Dean moved in closer for him.

"Thank you Dean. Gabriel was here earlier, he was telling me about you. I don't know why I learned of you from him" Chuck looked at his son and Gail accusingly.

They both turned their eyes down at Chucks glance.

Dean laughed.

"I guess he likes me best." Dean said.

Cas looked suddenly up at Dean.

"That's not true." He said.

Dean laughed again.

"Well, either way. He told me you have stolen my son's heart." Chuck raised an eyebrow at Dean.

Cas blushed at his father's comment. This was not how he thought this was going to go.

"I wouldn't say stolen." Dean said. "He offered it up pretty willingly. So did I. I love him very much."

Chuck smiled up at Dean.

"I am glad to hear that." Chuck told him. "Castiel, as glad as I am to see you, would you and your mother please leave the two of us alone. I need to have a talk with the young man here."

Cas looked around at everyone in the room. Dean smiled back at him, his look said "Hahaha on you."

"Ok Dad. Mom, let's go, I wanted to talk to you anyways." Cas said to Gail, and the two of them quietly left the room.

Dean thought he would feel more awkward, but something about Chuck put him in good spirits. He could see why Cas spoke so highly of the man.

Dean moved closer to Chuck's bedside, and Chuck held his hand out to him.

Dean reached out and took it.

Outside the room, Castiel and Gail were met with looks from Gabe and Gadreel. Both men looked confused as to why only two of the three people who entered had left.

"You told Dad about Dean?" Cas asked his brother somewhat accusingly, but there was no anger behind the words.

"Yeah. I just. I don't know. I like him. Sue me." Gabe said.

"I'll talk to Sam." Cas said jokingly.

Gabe rolled his eyes at his brother.

"You said you wanted to speak with me Castiel?" Gail said to her son.

"Yeah, Mom, let's go somewhere more private though." And they went back out to the waiting rooms couch.

The two of them sat together in silence for a minute. Eventually, Cas turned to his mother.

"What's going on mom? You couldn't stand Dean." Cas asked her.

Gail sighed.

"Castiel. I'm sorry. I, I didn't." Gail seemed at a loss for words. That was new to Cas. He had never known his mother to not know what to say.

"You didn't what?" Cas asked her more softly.

"You love him. I didn't know. I was caught up in my own, my own, things. I forgot to think about you. I'm sorry Darling. He's not such a bad guy."

Cas laughed.

"He's not a bad guy at all. He's a great guy. I knew if you would give him a chance you would like him." Cas paused to see if his mother was going to say anything. When she didn't, Cas continued.

"Ever since I told you I was gay, you've been hell bent on getting Gadreel and I together. I understand why, kind of. But mom, I love Gadreel, but not that way."

"I know." Gail said quietly. "I just wanted the best for you, and I knew Gadreel could provide for you."

"I'm a grown man mom. I can provide for myself, and Dean makes me happy. Happier than I think I've ever been." Cas told her.

Gail smiled at her son.

"I'm happy for you. I was talking to Dean earlier, as I know you already know."

"Yeah, how did that go?" Cas was curious, Dean hadn't told him anything.

"It went well Darling. I apologized for my behavior the other night. I," Gail paused, and looked at Castiel worriedly.

"Yes?" Cas pressed her.

"I was watching you two earlier. Out the window, when Dean's family came." Gail said guiltily.

Cas sighed and looked at his mom with a grumpy face.

"I know dear." Gail said with an apologetic look.

"And?" Cas asked.

"I saw you two together. And I watched you with his family. You looked so happy. I remembered that what's best for you isn't necessarily what I want for you. I'm sorry that I haven't been more in tune with that these last few years. I will try harder for you." Gail said.

Cas smiled widely at his mother, and she reveled in having that smile turned her way again. It had been a long time since Cas had smiled that way just for her.

"Thank you Mom. Dean's family, they're, so wonderful." Cas sighed. "He has this aunt, Karen, and she loves birds, and she bakes. And his uncle is kind of gruff, but he's really nice when you get used to him. His brother and sister in law are so funny, and smart, and they have been really great about me and Dean. I just, I love them so much already." Cas knew he was gushing, but he didn't care. It was so nice to finally be able to tell his mom about his life without worrying about her judging him and saying something cruel.

Gail was watching Castiel's face as he told her about Dean's family. She wondered again how she could have been so blind to her son's feelings.

"I would like to meet them as well, if that would be allowed." Gail said slowly.

Cas thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest.

"I think so. I plan on being with Dean for a long time." He stopped and smiled at her. "Honestly mom, if I have my way, I'll be with him forever."

"He treats you well?" Gail asked.

"Yes Mom. He's amazing." Cas said.

"Good. Then, he's welcome in our family. I will make sure that from now on I make every effort to let him know that." Gail reached out and held her sons hand.

Cas's heart was caught in his throat. Once he managed to swallow it down, he spoke.

"Thank you Mom."

Dean was standing at Chuck's bedside, holding his hand. The man was so small and frail.

"Dean. It is very nice to meet you. Please, sit." Chuck moved his head towards a chair that was by his beside. Dean turned and moved the chair so it was where he was currently standing and sat down.

Chuck folded his hands over his chest and looked over at Dean. The boy looked nervous, and that sent a guilty pleasure through Chuck's heart. It was his role as father to interview the boyfriend after all. He was glad he was still around to have the chance.

"Tell me about yourself Dean." Chuck said.

"Ok. Well. I'm Dean Winchester. I just moved to Sioux Falls to work with my uncle at his salvage yard. I fix cars with him. Bobby and his wife Karen are like my parents. They're wonderful."

Dean racked his brain to think of more things he could say about himself. "I have a younger brother named Sam. Him and his wife Jess are expecting their first child. My mother died when I was young, and I took care of Sam a lot growing up. We traveled a lot with our Dad. I took care of my father while he was sick. He died a few years ago now."

"I asked about you Dean." Chuck said.

"Oh, yeah. Well." Dean thought harder. So much of his identity was wrapped up in the people around him. He was having a hard time taking them out of the equation that was Dean Winchester.

"You are close to your family. You see them as part of your own identity?" Chuck voiced Dean's thoughts perfectly.

"Yeah." Dean admitted.

"Try your best to tell me about yourself. Who are you when you aren't thinking about them?" Chuck tried again.

"I'm, I don't know." Dean looked at Chuck confused.

"Take your time son. I can wait." Chuck smiled.

Dean looked down at his own hands crossed on his lap. He was being asked to think about himself in a way he had never really bothered to before.

"I'm Dean. I love working on cars. I drive a 67' Chevy Impala. I rebuilt her myself. She's my pride and joy." Dean smiled, still looking down at his hands.

"That's good. What else?" Chuck asked.

"I just came out recently. I knew I was gay, but I was scared. I'm not anymore, not since I met Cas." Dean still hadn't gathered the courage to look up, but he was starting to feel more confident.

When Chuck remained quiet, Dean continued.

"I really love pie, and old Clint Eastwood movies." Dean finally looked up at Chuck, who was smiling back at him.

That gave Dean all the reassurance he needed to go on.

"I've never had to take care of just myself before, and I've been scared shitless. It's going better than I imagined it would. I'm excited to be an Uncle soon. I love children, and my family."

"Very good Dean. Thank you. You sound like an exceptional person." Chuck said.

Dean beamed at Cas's Dad.

"Thanks Chuck. I've been wanting to meet you for a while now. Cas talks about you a lot. He says you're pretty great."

"I am." Chuck laughed, but he started coughing at the end of it.

Chuck saw the worry in Dean's eyes.

"Don't worry about me." He told him.

"I can't help it. Cas is worried, and I feel, I don't know, I feel what he feels."

"You love him right?" Chuck asked.

"Yes." Dean smiled. "Very much."

"Then please, know you have my blessing Dean." Chuck said.

Dean felt lighter after he heard the words.

"He's amazing. He's, I don't know. He's the best thing that's happened to me in a very long time." Dean said.

"He is an extraordinary young man." Chuck agreed.

"And he's brilliant. He reminds me of Sammy that way. I've always been the one taking care of everything, but Sam's the brains of the family." Dean explained.

"Castiel has always been very bright. Brighter than he lets on. He's also very humble." Chuck said.

Dean could see the pride in his eyes as he spoke about Cas.

"Yeah, I was surprised when he told me he was going for his Ph.D. I knew he was smart, with the way he talks, but I didn't expect him to be that smart." Dean laughed and shook his head.

"That sounds like my boy alright." Chuck said. "The best advice I can give you is, don't underestimate him. He's much stronger than he knows. He may seem timid at times, but he has a fierce and loving spirit. He can also be very stubborn. He needs someone to help him, even if he doesn't know it. I think you may be able to relate." Chuck raised an eyebrow to Dean.

"Yeah." Dean laughed. "I think I can."

"Take care of each other, and life will be good to you two." Chuck said.

Dean had a question he had been too nervous to ask Gail. He thought maybe now, while him and Chuck were alone, may be the right time.

"Cas is named after and angel right? Gabe too?" Dean asked.

"Yes." Chuck was surprised at the deviation in the conversation.

"So you and Gail are religious? Are you? Well, I mean … do you have a problem with Cas being gay?" Dean asked, unsure that he was phrasing his question correctly.  
Chuck smiled at Dean. It was a perfectly reasonable question really.

"No. We have no problem with his sexuality." Chuck reassured Dean. "I have always loved the beauty in religious texts, though I cannot say I agree with the interpretations people have imposed on much of it."

"Ok?" Dean said, clearly not quite understanding.

Chuck could see Dean's confusion.

"There is a beauty in it all, the angels, and a higher power. I find that very reassuring. But, I think people have taken the written words as they have been translated, and turned them into something with more hate than they were intended. I don't feel that my son's life could be made lesser by something as trivial as what other people believe. We named our sons for angels because that is what they are to us. Blessings, and gifts to the world." Chuck explained.

"Oh." Dean said, thinking he was starting to understand what Chuck was saying.

"Ok, I just asked because, well, I was scared to come out, like I said. Cas seems so comfortable with himself, and its helped me a lot. I knew he was named for an angel, and when I see and hear the things some religious people say. I don't know, it confused me." Dean explained.

"I understand." Chuck said.

"Do you want me to go and get Cas? I know he's been dying to see you." Dean said.

"Yes. That would be nice of you." Chuck said.

"I hope you get better." Dean said as he stood up. "I'd like to know you a lot longer than this."

Chuck smiled at Dean.

"I don't know if I will get better, but I would like to know you longer as well Dean. Thank you for the kind words."

Dean didn't know what else he could say, so he left the room to go and get Cas.


	28. Chapter 28

Dean waited outside the room while Cas was inside visiting with his father. He was wandering up and down the hallway, kicking his feet and reflecting on the two conversations he had already had that day.

Today had certainly gone a lot differently than he originally had in mind. He wasn't complaining though. He managed to miraculously make amends with Gail. That in itself would have made this quite a memorable day. On top of that, he got to meet Chuck, who turned out to be every bit as awesome as Castiel had said. Sure, he had to say see ya later to his own family, but he hardly ever got to see them anymore anyways, so even that was better than usual.

Dean was currently wondering if he should tell Cas about his mom spying on them. He was weighing the pros and cons, when he was suddenly snapped back to attention by Gabriel's voice.

"Deano!"

"Gabe. You here to tell me you approve of me too?" Dean smiled playfully at Castiel's older brother.

"What? No. Or. I dunno. Yeah sure. Approved." Gabriel mimed stamping a large stamp on Dean's forehead.

That made Dean laugh. It also made him feel pretty damn good. He was already sure Gabriel liked him, but something about hearing it from all three of Castiel's family members in one day was very satisfying.

"So yeah. Now that you have my stamp of approval, I was here to ask you something." Gabe continued.

"Ok, shoot."

"While you were off either being praised or torn apart by our mother, Cas and I got to talking. He mentioned Sam and Jess left this morning?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot they asked me to say goodbye to you. Baby was acting up too much so they had to cut their trip short. They'll be out again, but probably not until after the baby is here."

Dean suddenly smiled widely. It was almost time for baby to be born. Barely a month to go before he was going to be an uncle.

"Excited to be an uncle?" Gabriel asked when he saw Deans smile.

"Hell yeah."

"I wouldn't mind being one. If you and Cas wanna adopt some babies, that would be excellent."

Dean started laughing again.

"Slow down Gabe. Maybe let me keep dating your brother for a while before you start talking children."

"And wedding bells?" Gabe asked.

"Gabe." Dean shook his head with a small chuckle. In his mind he pictured Cas and himself somewhere down the line, with rings on their fingers and children playing in a yard. He had never thought that was something he would want. Except no, that wasn't right. It wasn't something he thought he could ever have. The fact that the thought was even budding there was new and exciting, albeit a little big and overwhelming at the same time.

"Ok, Ok. Anyways, back to my point. Cassy was also telling me a little story about an awkward mix up with a mattress delivery. Very smooth, I might add."

Dean groaned and wiped his hand down his face.

"What I picked up from the tale was that there is an extra mattress floating around your place. I've managed to just about drive my mother up the wall, it's a gift really. Cas said you would be delighted to have a little extra company for a few days. Said that you adore me so much that you would be honored to accept my presence in your home."

"Cas said that?" Dean asked with an arched brow.

"I may be elaborating slightly. His actual words could have been more like, 'Gabe, don't you dare.' But I could tell what he really meant to say. Brother senses and all that."

That sounded more like Cas. Dean chuckled as he imagined the horrified look Cas would have been wearing at his brother even mentioning the idea of him staying at Deans.

"Well yeah, sure Gabe. Just for a few days right?"

Gabe's face split into a wide grin.

"Yeah, just a couple days. Mother might make me want to pull my hair out, but I do still love the crazy old bird. I just need a break. Since Dad's going home tonight, I thought it would be good to let them have some alone time."

"He is? That's awesome. When did they say that?"

"The doctor was talking to Mom a few minutes ago and told her. Gadreel being a doctor has some benefits, the service around here has really picked up since he arrived."

Dean was excited about this news for a few reasons. The biggest of course being that Chuck was apparently doing well enough to go home, which was fantastic. The next being that it was still only late afternoon at this point, so he would probably get to spend the evening with Cas somewhere that wasn't the hospital. Tomorrow was the holiday, so Cas was going to have the day off. All around great news.

Dean's mind turned itself to naughtier places, remembering they weren't going to have anything to wake up for in the morning. They could have a late night. Dean didn't mean to, but his face was definitely giving away the porno music playing in his mind.

"Ew." Gabriel said looking at Dean.

Dean could feel himself blushing.

"What?!"

"I think I may already be developing some brother senses with you too Deano." Gabe laughed.

"Shut up Gabe." Dean rolled his eyes.

Before Gabe could start teasing him mercilessly, Dean switched the subject back over to their temporary living arrangement.

"You wanna bring your stuff over a bit later? I was planning on having some extra keys cut. One for Cas, and an extra for when I have guests. I'll get that to you tonight."

"Sweet. Cas is gonna freak." Gabe said, his face morphing into a devilish grin.

"Why am I going to freak?" Cas asked as he was leaving his dads room.

"Dean said I could stay with him a few days." Gabe said, and waited excitedly for Castiel's reaction.

Cas threw his head back and let out an exaggerated moan.

"Dean. Whyyyyyy?" Cas whined.

Dean couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's reaction. He looked over at Gabe who was clearly delighted by it, and smiled.

"It'll be fine. We can stay upstairs tonight, and leave this loser to his own devices." Dean said. The implication behind his words was pretty damn clear.

That seemed to ease Cas's pain a little bit and put a smile back on his face.

"It's your apartment. Don't be surprised if when you get back everything has been turned upside down."

Gabriel started laughing.

"That was a good one. When Cassy here went away on some bird thing back when we were both living at home, I went into his room and turned everything upside down. He was so pissed. It was awesome."

"And then I got a lock on my door." Cas added.

"And then I learned how to pick locks." Gabe grinned.

Cas narrowed his eyes at his brother. Dean loved watching these two together, he didn't think it was ever going to get old.

"Wait." A sudden realisation crossed Cas's face. "So if you're staying at Deans, and Deans staying with me, is Gadreel staying here? Or what?" Cas asked confused.

"Dad's heading home tonight kiddo." Gabe told him.

Cas let out a big sigh of relief.

"Boys?" Gail's voice came from a little bit further up the hall.

They all turned to see her walking towards them. The air stayed the same in the room this time. That was a welcome change. Gadreel was following closely behind her.

"Your father will be going home tonight." Gail said to Castiel.

"Gabe was just telling me. That's great Mom."

"If you boys would like to get out of here I understand. Gadreel and I are going to stay with Charles until he's been discharged, and Gadreel offered to take us both home."

"Great!" Gabe said, his enthusiasm for getting the hell out of there not masked at all.

Gail walked past Gabriel and towards Dean, and she placed her hand gently on Dean's bicep.

"Thank you for being here with us Dean. I hope you will come by for dinner again soon, and maybe eat this time." She smiled down at the floor.

"I'd like that. Thanks Gail."

Gail's hand lingered another moment, and she started petting his arm slightly and hummed.

"You have lovely skin, doesn't he Gadreel?" Gail asked, turning her head towards him.

"Um. Yes, he does." Gadreel said awkwardly, a blush creeping up his neck.

"Very soft." Gail said, still seeming surprised by the fact. She lowered her hand and walked to her husband's door.

Dean couldn't help but smile at the strange compliment. He noticed Cas was doing the same. Dean walked over to grab his boyfriend's hand.

"Let's get out of here." He said.

As they started walking away, Dean turned back to Gadreel as he was following Gail into the hospital room.

"It was good seeing you again buddy. Catch you later." Dean raised his free hand in a small wave.

Gadreel wouldn't meet his eyes.

"It was nice to see you too Dean. Have a good evening." And Gadreel closed the door behind him.

Huh. Well. That was weird.

"Uh oh." Cas said quietly beside him and chuckled.

"It's not his fault I have great skin." Dean laughed.

Gabriel forced himself between the two men, breaking their hands apart. He reached his arms up to wrap them around the two larger men, pulling them down to his level as they walked.

"Alright you two, let's boogie before any more men fall hopelessly in love with you guys."

Gabriel released them both so they could once again stand up properly.

"I'll head home and grab some stuff. Give me a call when you're back and I'll head over." Gabe said as the three of them stepped into the elevator.

"Will do." Dean told him.

The three men parted ways in the parking lot, Gabriel taking Castiel's car.

As Dean and Cas settled into the Impala, Cas turned to Dean.

"You're sure you're alright with Gabe staying with you? He can be a handful."

"I'm sure." Dean said.

"Ok. Now what? I thought I would have to be here a lot longer than this today."

Dean started up the car and pulled onto the main road.

"I need to go and get some keys cut." Dean said.

"Oh? Alright." Cas was hoping Dean would fill in the blanks as to why he needed to do that.

"I want to have an extra set for when people stay over, so I don't always have to be home to let them in." Dean explained.

"Ahh." Cas said.

"And I want to cut you a set." Dean added.

Cas was quiet. His brain was trying to process the information. His heart was doing little flips in his chest.

"Cas?" Dean asked. He was worried maybe he was moving too fast and making Castiel uncomfortable. His heart started doing the same little flips, but for an entirely different reason.

"You want to give me keys? To your place?" Cas couldn't suppress his excitement.

Dean relaxed when he saw his boyfriends smile. He was half expecting to look over and see horror there instead.

"Yeah. That way you can come by whenever, if you need anything or I dunno, whatever you want. You're always welcome at my place." Dean reached over to hold Castiel's hand.

Cas looked down at their entwined fingers.

"Could, could I cut you a set too?" he asked Dean.

Dean smiled over at him.

"Yeah. That would be good. Then I can visit with Cockaroo more the next time you have to work like a mad man." Dean said.

"She would love that. She's quite taken with you."

"Well yeah, I'm awesome." Dean laughed, and continued his drive to go and cut some keys.

Once they left the hardware store that Dean had chosen to have the keys done, they made their way back home.

Castiel was sitting in the passenger seat, playing with his key ring. His fingers kept going back to the new key on it. He would run his fingers over it repeatedly.

Cas had never been this serious with anyone before. He looked over at Dean, who was concentrating on the road. He was so handsome. The ridiculous cut of his jaw line in profile was beautiful. His eyes wandered across his boyfriend's broad shoulders and along the strong arm that was extended out holding the steering wheel. Cas started undressing the man with his eyes. He couldn't help himself. He did have great skin. Castiel felt very privileged for being allowed to see (and feel) all of it.

Dean started laughing out of nowhere, and Cas shot his head back down to his keys.

"What?" He asked Dean, hoping he hadn't been as obvious about his thoughts as he might have been.

"You were imagining me naked weren't you?"

Cas blushed. Damn, he was so caught.

"Maybe."

"We're almost home. Think you can keep it in your pants until then?" Dean teased.

Cas thought about it for a second.

"Maybe." He repeated himself.

When they had finally reached their destination, they quickly headed upstairs. To be honest, Dean had been having the same thoughts as Cas had on the drive home. Catching Castiel eye fucking him was awesome, and he really wanted to get to the real thing. Like, now.

"Try yours so we know it works." Dean said as they came up to his door.

Cas pulled his keys out from his pocket and slid the freshly cut key it into the lock. Dean was watching Cas's hands as he did it, and found himself even more turned on. He had beautiful hands, and Dean knew exactly what he wanted them to be doing a few minutes from now.

The lock turned easily. Good, it worked. Now open the damn door already and let's get inside was all Dean could think.

Cas reached down and opened the door. The second they were inside, Dean grabbed Castiel's keys from his hand and threw them on the table.

Dean reached out and grabbed Cas. He pressed their mouths together eagerly and started kissing the man like his life depended on it. Cas was clearly on the same page, as he grabbed the back of Deans head to force his tongue deeper into the other man's mouth.

They stumbled their way into Dean's bedroom, kicking their shoes off as they went. When they reached the bed, Cas pushed Dean so the back of his knees hit the bed and he fell backwards onto the mattress.

Castiel climbed on top and continued his enthusiastic exploration of Dean's mouth.

Dean's hands were doing plenty of exploring of their own. He reached down and started to pull Castiel's shirt up over his head. Cas got the memo and finished the job. Dean quickly took his own of as well, and the next thing he knew they were pressed back into each other, skin on skin.

Cas's mouth went to Deans neck now instead, and he started ravaging the skin there, leaving small marks and he sucked and licked his lovers neck. Dean tilted his face up to give Cas better access. He could feel their hard dicks trying to press against one another through far too much fabric, and Dean rolled his hips up to add more pressure there. He moaned as he did it. These pants had to go.

Dean reached his hands down to start removing Cas's pants. Once he had them undone, Cas rolled off of Dean to finish the job. Dean whined low in his throat at the sudden loss of the man pressed up against him, but hurried to remove his own pants. With those gone in what had to be record time, Dean flipped himself over to crawl his own naked body over Castiel's.

Cas reached out to hurry him along, although Dean was already moving quickly to get himself back where he wanted to be.

This time Dean was the one with his mouth travelling all over Cas's body. He nipped and sucked every inch of skin he could get his mouth on. The sounds that were coming from Cas were threatening to finish Dean off before they could even get to the next part. Dean tried to slow himself down a little bit, but he was completely overcome with raw passion. He tried to concentrate on not coming right then.

Cas's hands reached down to Deans ass and he pulled him roughly against him. The moan that escaped Dean drove Cas wild, so he did it again.

"Oh my god, Cas, Baby, slow down." Dean moaned.

Cas could feel the wetness of their precome between the two of them and did as Dean asked, even though it was nearly impossible. He knew if he wanted to last long enough to get inside Dean, he needed to listen to his warning. With his hands still firmly gripping Dean's ass, he moved his face down for Dean to press their mouths back together.

They were both starting to regain some control, so Cas slowly moved his fingers in closer to the rim of Deans hole. Dean let out another moan as Cas applied a little more pressure.

Dean felt his lovers smile against the side of his face. He wished briefly that he had been able to see it, god he loved that smile.

Dean reached over and quickly grabbed the bottle of lube he kept beside the bed. He threw it down at Cas's side and left him to do what he needed to do with it. Dean was too eager to get back to the work he was starting to do on Cas's ear lobe. He bit their softly before he started covering the man's neck with more savage kisses.

Cas grabbed the bottle and thoroughly covered his own fingers. He poured more out onto Dean, and he felt Dean roll is hips firmly against him as he felt the cool wet sensation.

"Babe, fuck." Dean moaned as he moved his hips forwards again.

"I will." Cas said seductively into Deans ear. That alone nearly pushed Dean to the edge. He was suddenly groaning as Cas pressed one of his long strong fingers into him.

"Fuck." Dean moaned out again, and Cas continued stretching out his lover. Dean was completely gone, Cas had total control of how the rest of this played out. All Dean could do was try not to come yet and enjoy everything Castiel was doing to him.

Once Cas was satisfied with his handiwork, he removed his fingers and rolled the two of them over so Dean was underneath him. Dean whined a little at the sudden emptiness he felt. Cas moved Deans legs so they were spread further apart and he could settle himself in between them.

He grabbed the lube and rubbed a healthy amount over his own cock. He bent down and was kissing Deans chest when Dean spoke up.

"Fuck me, now, please." He moaned.

He felt Cas smile against his chest, as he moved to press the tip of himself into Dean.

That was better, Dean sighed.

Cas reached one hand under Deans hip to lift him up a little bit as he pushed more of himself in.

Cas was so hard, every movement felt like it could be the end for him. He knew he couldn't look at Dean right now or he would be done for.

Dean's hands moved up to grip Cas's shoulders as Cas pushed the rest of himself in. He wrapped his hand around the back of Cas's neck and gripped there. Dean's hands kept moving over Castiel's body, like he couldn't decide which part of him he wanted to touch the most. He loved every inch of him, though he was especially partial to the inches that were currently inside him.

Cas froze for a moment as he felt the full length of himself inside Dean. He let out a long steady breath to center himself. He felt Dean beneath him going crazy and running his hands over his body. Fuck he loved this man. Cas pulled himself back and quickly thrust himself back in. Dean's moan was music to his ears. Cas started to pick up his pace. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer, but when he looked at Dean, he knew he was in the same boat.

Cas maintained a quick but steady pace, and Dean called out when Cas was hitting him in exactly the right spot. Cas growled lustfully when he heard that, and started hitting Dean there over and over. The next thing he knew Dean was losing his mind, and hot white shots were coming out of him and covering his stomach and chest. Cas let go and started filling Dean up with his own orgasm.

Dean could barely comprehend the world around him as he felt Cas pulsing inside of him. He could hear the most intense and wonderful moan coming from his lover. Dean was almost sure he was going to black out.

Cas slowly lowered his body to fully rest against Deans, ignoring the wet mess between their two bodies. He hadn't pulled himself out yet. The intense orgasm he had just experienced was lingering, and he didn't want the incredible sensations to end. Dean wasn't eager for Cas to leave his body yet either, but eventually Cas slipped himself out and moved himself over to lay on his back. Dean let out a small whine at the loss.

He looked over to Dean, who couldn't seem to focus his eyes on anything. Cas couldn't blame him, he was having a hard time coming back down to reality as well.

They laid beside each other panting for a few minutes. Once Dean was able to start forming thoughts again, he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around Cas's waist.

"I love you." He mumbled against Castiel's shoulder.

"I, me too." Cas said, talking was hard at the moment.

"That." Dean sighed, trying to form a sentence and failing.

"That." Cas agreed.

They stayed in bed that way for a while, basking in the afterglow.

Once Cas felt confident that he could walk, he got up to grab a wash cloth to clean them both up. Dean laid back and just waited. He looked down lovingly as Cas cleaned him, and all he could think about was how incredible he was.

Once they were clean, Cas crawled back into the bed and wrapped himself back into Deans arms. They started to doze, and soon both men were fast asleep.

Their nap didn't last long, only about half an hour, before Deans phone started ringing from his pants, which were tossed haphazardly on the floor. As he woke up to the sound he quickly remembered he was supposed to call Gabe when they got home.

"Shit, your bother." Dean said as he got up to go and grab his phone.

Cas was still half asleep, but he laughed softly.

"Oh yeah, that idiot." He muttered.

Dean picked out his phone and answered it. He cleared his throat and hoped he was going to sound normal.

"Hey Gabe. Sorry. Yeah, were back. No I didn't forget about you." Dean looked over at Castiel laying in his bed. "Ok, yeah, I may have forgotten about you for a little while."

Dean started laughing at whatever Gabe had said.

"Shut up and come over. Yeah we'll be decent." Dean rolled his eyes. "See you soon."


	29. Chapter 29

"Gabe's on his way." Dean told Cas, who was still laying half asleep in his bed.

"Ok. I'll get up." Castiel said without moving.

Dean started to laugh.

"When?"

"Soon. Now. Ish." Cas said slowly.

Dean crawled himself back into the bed.

"I told him we would be decent." Dean said, hoping that would convince Cas to actually get up and put some clothes on.

"Yes, I heard you."

"We could go up and check on Meg?" Dean tried.

That seemed to get Castiel's attention.

"Yeah, Ok, I'm getting up." Cas sighed and sat himself up in the bed.

Dean sat up with him. They both got up out of the bed and redressed themselves.

As Cas was buckling his belt he was muttering under his breath.

"Stupid Gabe, with his stupid face."

"Don't be like that." Dean laughed. "I like your brother. He's funny."

"Funny." Cas said and rolled his eyes. He softened a little bit and knew Dean was right.

"Yeah, he can be pretty funny I guess. It'll be nice to have him around."

Satisfied, Dean left the bedroom, and Castiel followed him.

Dean was in the kitchen putting on a fresh pot of coffee. He figured they both probably needed it.

He looked over at Cas who still had a serious case of sex hair. He thought about telling him to fix it, but changed his mind. He would like to see him this way as long as he possibly could.

Dean was still floating on a cloud. He was having a wonderful day, and it still wasn't over.

"So, that thing, at the hospital with Gadreel. Do I need to be worried?" Dean asked.

"No, I don't think so." Cas told him as he leaned over the high counter that surrounded the kitchen.

"Ok, good." Dean was happy to leave it at that.

"He probably just realized that you are actually incredibly handsome." Cas said, humor behind the words.

"Well, he's a little late to the game. I've always been incredibly handsome." Dean said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Cas smirked at his boyfriends ridiculous vanity.

"When will Sam and Jess get home? I would like to know how they are doing." Cas said, changing the subject.

"Not for a couple of hours yet. I'll call in a little bit and checkup."

"Ok." Cas agreed.

The two of them had a cup of coffee together in near silence. Cas looked up at the clock on the wall and realized they probably didn't have time to go upstairs before his brother was set to arrive.

"You want to stay upstairs tonight?" He asked Dean.

"Yeah. I wouldn't mind a repeat of … that." Dean said nodding his head towards the bedroom. "It might be a little awkward if we stayed here." He added.

"Yeah, a little bit." Cas laughed.

Cas's face was suddenly more serious, and that made Dean worry.

"What's up?" He asked cautiously.

Castiel rearranged his features so they weren't set in such a pensive way.

"Nothing really." He told Dean.

"Liar." Dean said shortly.

"I was just wondering what my parents said to you. It's ok if you don't want to tell me, it was between you and them after all. But, I can't help but wonder."

Dean tried to think back on the conversations he had at the hospital. Was there any way to compact them and explain them? He decided he would try.

"Well, your mom was spying on us." Dean admitted.

Cas laughed.

"Yeah, she told me."

Dean was a little annoyed for a second. Why would she ask him not to tell Cas if she was just going to go ahead and spill the beans herself?

"Huh. She asked me not to tell you." He said.

Cas looked up at Dean with an arched eyebrow.

"But you told me anyways?" He asked.

"Well, yeah." Dean said.

That made Cas smile. It was good to know there weren't going to be any secrets between the two of them. He preferred it that way.

"She apologized for being such a massive bitch the other night." Dean went on.

"I'm going to go ahead and assume those are your words and not hers?" Cas asked.

"Yeah." Dean laughed.

"Well that's good. She did seem a lot friendlier towards you before we left. I had a talk with her as well, so I can gather from how well that went that everything between you two is ok now?" Cas asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I think we are gonna be ok." Dean said.

"She, um, she." Cas started, but was nervous about how the rest of the sentence was going to go.

"She um she what?" Dean asked.

"She was saying she would like to meet your family. Bobby and Karen, specifically." Cas finished.

"Oh boy." Dean said with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."

"Well, it's not like we can keep them apart forever." Dean said after considering it for a minute. "I'm not planning on going anywhere."

That made Cas smile again.

"Me either, I guess they will have to meet eventually." Cas said.

"Yeah, it would be awkward if the first time they met was" Dean was cut short by a knock at the door.

Dean went to answer it, glad he had been cut off before he could go throwing his big fat foot in his mouth. What he had meant to say was "at the wedding."

At the what? Cas wondered as he watched Dean go and answer the door.

Dean did a quick full body shake before he reached the door. Time to be Dean Winchester again, not this newly discovered post sex, lovey dovey, hey let's get married, version of himself.

Dean opened the door to a smiling Gabe, who happened to be carrying a huge case of beer in one hand.

"Hello Handsome!" Gabe said as he walked forward to enter the apartment. Dean moved aside to let him pass.

"And hello sex hair." Gabe said as he laughed at his brother.

Castiel quickly reached his hands up to hopefully fix his hair.

Gabe made himself at home right away, opening the case of beer on Dean's counter and tossing one to Dean and Castiel each.

"Good thinking." Dean said as he cracked his can open.

Cas looked down at the beer in his hand and decided he didn't have to work tomorrow so why not? Cas didn't drink often, but it would be ok.

"Where's your stuff?" Dean asked, since all Gabe had with him was the case of beer.

"Still down in Cassy's car. I'll go grab it in a sec." He said, opening his own beer and taking a deep swig.

"Nice place." Gabe said as he looked around the apartment. "Didn't peg you for the 'interior designer' type of gay."

"I'm not." Dean laughed. "This is all Jess."

Cas was now sitting on the sofa and rolling his eyes at his brothers stupid lack of class.

"Ahh, that makes sense." Gabe said as he walked into the living room and plopped himself down beside his brother.

"So uh, that would be your room over there." Dean indicated. "Same room as Cas's office upstairs.

"Ooooh you mean the forbidden zone? Exciting." Gabe said.

"You would shuffle my papers and set me back a year." Cas said. "It's a forbidden zone for a reason."

"Yeah, I totally would." Gabe agreed.

"I'd ask what you two have been up to, but I'm sure I don't want to know. What are the dinner plans?" Gabe asked.

Dean hadn't thought about that yet. He didn't really have much in the house, other than the few meals he had left that Karen had given him.

"What do you guys want?" He asked.

"Let's order in. My treat." Gabe said.

"Ok, pizza?" Dean asked.

The two guys on the couch both seemed good with that plan, so Dean dug around in one of the kitchen drawers and shuffled through the local flyer's he had stashed away there.

Dean was starving, he had just put forth a fair amount of effort in the bedroom, and had barely eaten all day. Castiel must be famished he figured, remembering how much more work he had done just recently.

Dean pulled out his phone and dialed the number to a nearby pizza joint.

"Meat lovers?" He asked the other two. They both nodded in agreement.

Dean took his phone with him into the bedroom to have some privacy while he placed their order.

"How you doin' Cass-a-frass?" Gabe asked while the two of them were alone.

"Gabe, if you are looking to tease me just stop." Cas said exasperated.

"No, I'm not. Chill out." Gabe said.

Cas looked his brother over and could tell he meant what he was saying. He seemed genuinely interested in his well being.

"I'm good." Cas said.

"Just good?" Gabe asked with a knowing smile.

Cas laughed.

"Ok, I'm really, really good. Happy?"

"Yeah." Gabe said, raising his beer back to his mouth.

Dean came back into the room and grabbed his own beer off the counter.

"Alright, they should be here within the hour." He said, sitting himself right up against Cas.

He had just reached out and put his hand on Castiel's knee when there was another knock at the door.

"That's probably not pizza." He said, wondering who else it could be. He wasn't expecting any more company.

Dean got up to go and answer the door. He was surprised when he opened it to two women.

"Heya bitches!" Charlie said, looking passed Dean and seeing that Castiel and another man were in the apartment.

"Hey Charlie. What's up?" Dean asked.

"Oh not much. This is Dorothy." She said, motioning towards the taller woman beside her. She had brunette hair and was wearing a pretty awesome bomber jacket. Charlie was standing slightly behind the taller woman and gave Dean a look that said 'Nice right?'

"Hi." Dorothy said confidently, holding her hand out to Dean.

Dean took it and shook her hand. She had a good firm shake on her.

"I haven't seen you two losers in a while. Thought we should check up on you." Charlie said.

"Come in, make yourselves at home." Dean said, opening the door widely.

"You guys hungry?" Dean asked as they came inside. "I just ordered pizza, I can call back and add some more."

"Starving." Charlie moaned. "Wanna order us a Hawaiian?" She asked.

"Yeah sure. Give me a sec." Dean said as he pulled his phone back out of his pocket and redialed the last number called. He retreated back into the bedroom to add to his order.

Charlie and Dorothy walked themselves into the living room. When Charlie saw that the couch was apparently all taken up (she rightfully assumed the spot beside Cas belonged to Dean) She went back into the dining room to grab two of Deans dining room chairs.

Gabriel stood up to introduce himself.

"I'm Gabriel, Cas's older brother." He said holding his hand out to Charlie.

She took it and introduced herself and Dorothy to him.

Gabe went into Dean's fridge and grabbed two more beers for the new comers.

"Hey Cas." Charlie said as she sat herself down on her chair.

"Hello Charlie." Cas said warmly. "It's nice to meet you Dorothy, I'm Castiel." He said giving the woman a small nod.

"Charlies told me about you. Said if she was straight she'd be jumping those bones. I see why." Dorothy said with a sly smile.

Cas blushed.

"I, uh, well, thank you?" Cas managed to stutter out.

Charlie looked mortified. How had she managed to find a woman even MORE brash than herself?

"Dean is my boyfriend." Cas felt obligated to add, just as Dean was coming out from his room.

"Yeah I am." Dean said as he went to sit himself back down beside Cas.

"Pizza is ordered." Dean said to the group as Gabe was distributing beer to the two ladies in the room.

"Thanks Dude." Charlie said beaming at him, her previous embarrassment vanishing.

"How'd you know which place was mine?" Dean asked, picking his own beer back up from the coffee table.

"I can read? Duh. Your names on the buzzer panel outside." Charlie told him.

"Oh, never noticed. I've never had to use it, someone's always there to let me in." Dean told her.

"Yeah, it's weird right?" Charlie said and laughed.

Gabe sat himself back down on the couch beside Dean. There was more than enough room for Dean to move over so he wasn't crowding Cas so much, but he didn't seem eager to take it. Cas certainly didn't mind the closeness.

"You're Cas's brother?" Charlie asked Gabe, starting the conversation back up.

"The one and only." Gabe said puffing out his chest.

"Hmm, he never mentioned you." Charlie told him.

Gabe raised a hand over his heart and put a shocked and hurt expression on his face as he turned to look at his brother.

"You're hiding me from people?!"

"Obviously." Cas said as he rolled his eyes.

"I thought you said you were older?" Dorothy asked Gabe.

"I am." Gabe said.

"You're shorter." Dorothy said, stating the obvious.

Cas started laughing at the comment.

"I'm aware." Gabe said, half playfully, half annoyed.

"Sammy ended up taller than me too." Dean said to Gabe. "It's pretty annoying. Kids a monster."

Gabe held his beer up to Dean, and Dean raised his own to tap them together before they both drank.

"So Cas, how are, um, all the birds?" Charlie asked.

Cas laughed. "They are probably ok, I don't really know. I don't have tabs on all of them."

Charlie shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her drink.

"What do you do Dorothy?" Cas asked.

"Oh, a little of this, and a little of that." She answered him noncommittally.

Cas wasn't sure what that could possible mean, but accepted it anyways.

Charlie gave Dean a look that he could only read as 'isn't she awesome?'

Dean smiled at Charlie. The girl was clearly smitten.

The four of them sat and drank until the pizza arrived. Once it had they all dug in. Everyone was pretty damn hungry. Dean watched Charlie as she ate her Hawaiian pizza and cringed a little with the first few bites. Dorothy seemed like she was in heaven while she ate it, and Dean knew Charlie had ordered it because it was Dorothy's favorite and not her own.

He could understand that. He looked over at Castiel and knew he would choke down some pineapple pizza for him too. Hell, he would order a thin crust, gluten free, vegan pizza if that's what Cas asked for.

Dean looked at the hearty piece of meat lover pizza in his hand and counted his blessings.

"Where the hell have you guys been lately?" Charlie eventually asked Cas and Dean.

They two men looked between each other, and silently agreed that Cas would take the reins.

"I was working a lot there for a bit, and then our dad was put back in the hospital." Cas explained. "I haven't been home a lot lately."

"Well that sucks." Charlie said. "Is that why you're here?" She asked Gabe.

"Nope. Just a coincidence." Gabe informed her.

"So where have you been then?" Charlie turned her attention to Dean.

"I did some overtime while Cas was so busy." Dean said, slightly embarrassed.

"Awww." Charlie and Dorothy said in unison, both clearly understanding.

Dean tried not to blush. He wasn't a little girl.

The smile Cas was wearing beside him made him feel a little bit better.

Charlie wiped her hands on her napkin and went to stand up.

"Well, it was good catching up with you guys. I owe you a drink Dean, for surviving. I want full deets when we go kay?"

"You got it Charlie." Dean said as he stood up to lead the two women to the door.

Cas stood up as well to go with him and say goodbye.

Gabe saw everyone else was standing, and joined the pack.

After a brief goodbye, and some hugs exchanged, the two women left the place, but not before Charlie turned back and gave them a flirty wink.  
They saw Dorothy reach back and put her hand on Charlie's ass as they walked down the hall. Once the door was closed all three men started laughing.

"Someone is getting laid tonight!" Gabe said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I'd say so." Dean agreed.

Cas looked over at Dean with a mischievous look on his face.

"Ewwwwwwwww." Gabe moaned as he caught it.

"Shut up Gabe." Dean and Cas said in unison.

The three men hung out for a while longer, having a few more beer each. Cas was starting to feel a pretty good buzz, and turned to Dean resting a hand on his thigh.

"Do you want to head upstairs?" He asked.

"Yes I do." Dean said with a smile.

"Ok, go away. You guys are gross." Gabe said looking between the two of them.

They stood up to leave and Dean turned back to Gabe.

"Lock the door when you go to bed. And don't mess with my shit." He said.

"No promises. You two have a good night." Gabe said and shook his whole body in a show of disgust. He smiled and winked at the two of them afterwards though to show he was only kidding.

Dean laughed and Castiel rolled his eyes.

Gabe shooed the two men out the door and closed it behind them.

Once they were alone in the hallway, Dean grabbed Cas, pushing him up against the wall and kissing him.

"Round two?" He asked.

"Yes please." Cas said with a smile before they made their way up to Cas's apartment together.


	30. Chapter 30

Cas and Dean laid in bed together. Round two had been amazing. It was slower, and far more gentle. Dean would even dare to say it was loving.

The two were holding each other in the bed. Both tired, a little drunk, and still wading in the feeling of the intimacy they had just shared.

"I had a good day." Dean said softly to Cas, who was laying slightly upright behind Dean, his arms wrapped around him.

Cas softly kissed the side of Deans head.

"I'm glad."

"Your mom was really kinda nice. It was weird. And your dads awesome. I don't think I got a chance to tell you."

Cas smiled behind Dean. He couldn't help himself, he kissed the side of Dean's head again.

"He said you two got along." Cas said through his smile.

"How did your visit go?" Dean asked.

"It was good." Cas seemed content with it, but still let out a small sigh.

"I hate seeing him there. In all my memories he's this big guy. Well, not big, but I don't know. He wasn't so skinny and laying in a hospital bed anyways."

"I get it Babe." Dean said softly.

Cas smiled at the pet name. He didn't think that Dean even realized he had just used it.

"When my Dad got sick he lost weight so fast. He barely even looked like himself anymore."

Cas deflated a little bit at Dean's words.

Dean caught his stupid mistake right away.

"Shit. Sorry Cas. That's not what I meant to say. I'm a dick."

"You aren't." Cas reassured him. "I'm sorry you've already had to be through this kind of thing."

Dean relaxed a little bit. Cas hadn't adjusted his hold on him at all, and if anything they seemed to be sinking closer together. He figured it would have felt different if Cas was upset.

Dean wasn't used to this, but it felt right. He knew he loved Cas. He knew there was nothing he couldn't talk to him about. But this, this laying together, and just, talking. It didn't feel weird, like every time Sammy decided it was time for a 'heart to heart', this wasn't something Dean really did.

Dean barely ever talked about his dad, and especially not the end of his life. Something in Dean's chest lightened when he realized that here, with Cas, it was ok.

"It was really hard." Dean admitted. "I don't mean to say anything 'bout your dad or anything, I really hope he's gonna get better. I'm just trying to say I know how shitty it is." Dean tried to explain himself, and hoped he wasn't rambling.

Cas shuffled himself down a little lower in the bed so that his chest was pressed more firmly against Deans back and side.

"Do you wanna tell me about it?" Cas asked softly.

Dean let out a long sigh. He did actually kind of want to tell someone about it. He just never felt like he was with the right person. The man who was currently holding him however? Dean felt like he could tell him anything.

"Yeah. I guess. It's."

Dean paused. He really didn't know how to put his own experience into words.

"It's ok Babe, take your time." Cas said softly with his head rested against Deans.

Dean laid himself against Cas and just breathed.

"Dad was kind of a dick." Dean said bluntly.

Cas laughed softly and deeply. Dean could feel the rumble against his chest and lightened a little bit.

"He wasn't that bad though. He just kinda, dragged us around. We were always … everywhere." Dean said, hoping he was making some kind of sense.

Cas just hummed against him, letting Dean know he was hearing him.

"He was drunk a lot. And kind of mean. Definitely wasn't in to the whole gay thing." Dean said.

Cas tightened his grip around Deans waist a tiny bit and then softened it again. Dean appreciated the small hug, he needed it.

"But yeah, I dunno, he got sick. I took care of him at home cuz he was too damn stubborn to stay with the doctors. It was like pulling teeth to get him to his appointments." Dean groaned. He was suddenly back home three years ago, trying his best to get his dad ready to go to the doctor. He had to fight him the whole damn time.

Dean had felt out of his mind and annoyed at the time, but now he looked back on the memory with a certain sad fondness.

"I haven't been around enough for my parents." Cas admitted after the silence in the room became palpable.

"You've been there all weekend." Dean countered.

"Well, yeah, but, that's because things were bad. I haven't been calling, or going by very often. Dads not exactly far from me, I don't have an excuse to not be there."

"I doubt you've been that bad." Dean said with an amount of certainty that would have worried Cas if it was literally anybody other than Dean.

I was true Cas hadn't actually gone and seen his parents very often since the last time his dad was in the hospital, but he did answer his mother's calls, sometimes. Every once in a while he even called himself to check in briefly, even though he was sure his mother was going to talk about any of Gadreels newest accomplishments at length.

"Well, I call. But I haven't been going by." Cas said slowly.

"Cas, I would kill for a chance to call." Dean said softly.

Cas nestled himself all the way down into the bed then. He wrapped Dean up tightly as the little spoon.

They laid together that way for a while.

Cas started gently kissing the back of Deans neck, and Dean let himself be comforted. He knew Cas was going through a hard time, but he could feel a shift in Cas while he took care of Dean instead. He felt like maybe they both needed this.

Dean nuzzled his head further into his pillow, enjoying Cas's warmth around him.

They didn't have to say anything else. Their breathing slowed, and eventually they were both softly snoring.

Cas woke up to an empty bed.

He looked around the room for Dean. He had a very dull headache, but it certainly wasn't something you could call a hangover.

The bathroom door was open, and the light was off. So Dean wasn't in the room anyways.

Cas was sure he didn't invent Dean being over last night. He got up slowly and started putting some clothes on. His brother was somewhere in the building after all, it wouldn't be unlike Gabe to pop up out of his laundry basket if the comedic timing was right.

As Cas was looking curiously around his own living room for Dean, the front doors lock clicked.

"Oh, hey, you're up." Dean said as he walked in.

Cas was smiling as he watched Dean put his keys back in his pocket. Something about Dean using his keys on Cas's front door felt so right.

"I knew that little diner you like only serves breakfast till ten." Dean said looking down at the plastic bag in his hand sheepishly. "You were kinda, I dunno, adorable, when you were sleeping. So I just went and got some to go."

Dean felt a little bit awkward. Was he being romantic? He didn't mean to be. He just woke up and looked at Cas and thought, 'He would probably like breakfast from that place he likes.', and went and got some.

Cas smiled at Dean fondly. He was so cute when he didn't know what he was doing.

"What did you get me?" Cas asked as he went to the kitchen to grab plates.

"Eggs benny." Dean said. "That's what you got last time, and I thought you were going to die from sheer food bliss."

"You are perfection." Cas said as he set the plates down on the table and leaned in to kiss Dean's cheek.

Cas went back into the kitchen to pour the two of them some of the coffee he noticed Dean had already put on. Yeah, Dean was perfect. Cas grabbed some cutlery out of the drawer and picked up the two coffees to take them to the table. Dean started plating their food for them as Cas just sat back and sipped at his coffee.

"This was really nice of you." Cas hummed.

Dean could feel a small blush creeping up his neck. He wasn't gonna be a big old sap though damn it.

"Yeah, I'm really nice." Dean said, shooting Cas his most winning smile.

Cas surprised Dean by mirroring his smile with a big cheesy one of his own.

Dean barked out a laugh at his boyfriend's ridiculous grin and shook his head.

"You're a dork."

"Yeah, I am." Cas agreed as Dean pushed Cas's breakfast towards him.

"What do you want to do today?" Dean asked through a bite of his food.

"Well." Cas said slowly.

"Well?" Dean asked.

Cas wanted to go hiking and see if he could spot some of the rare warblers that had been rumored to be in the area. He had a pretty good feeling that it would bore Dean immensely however, since bird watching was a very quiet endeavor. Cas looked over at Deans boots by the front door and wasn't sure Dean even had the ability to walk quietly.

"I was reading on this forum that there have been some golden winged warblers in the area. Well actually, there are a few more types that people are saying they've spotted. They don't come around here very often, and I'm curious as to why they are. If they really are anyways. Sometimes amateur bird watchers get it wrong."

Cas opened his mouth to start telling Dean it wasn't important and they didn't have to, but Dean started talking first to keep Cas from launching into another ramble.

"Yeah, that sounds cool." Dean said as he took another bite of his breakfast.

"No, it doesn't." Cas laughed.

"Yeah it does. I don't know what warblers are, but they sound … cool." Dean tried. Honestly, bird watching didn't sound that cool, but Dean could tell that Cas really wanted to go.

"You read bird forums? Nerd."

"Well, yeah, duh." Cas rolled his eyes. Cas was so cute when he rolled his eyes, Dean was pretty sure that's why he had so much fun poking at him.

"I can go by myself. I know birds are my thing. I am a bird man after all."

"Ornithologist." Dean said confidently, and to Cas's surprise very correctly. "I've been practicing." Dean admitted. He had his phone say the word out loud to him about 100 times until he was saying it right.

"I wanna see you in your natural habitat." Dean said before Cas could tease him.

"Ok, well, you're going to have to be very quiet. I don't want you scaring every living thing away with your big stompy feet."

"I don't have 'stompy feet'. I can be quiet." Dean pouted.

"You do. Do you have runners?" Cas asked.

Dean laughed and imagined himself running. Yeah, that wasn't his thing at all. Sam had tried tirelessly to get Dean to go on his morning runs with him, but mornings? Nope. Running? Nope.

"No, I have boots, and more boots. Well, I have one pair of fancy shoes, but I'm not wearing those."

"You could borrow some of mine." Cas suggested and looked under the table at Deans feet. "If we can fit your stompy feet in them anyways. Otherwise we may have to pick you up a pair."

Dean laughed again. "I don't have stompy feet. Jerk. I don't think we are gonna be able to squeeze my enormous, very quiet feet into any of your little elf shoes."

"I'm not an elf. Jerk." Cas said, putting a hand on his hip.

Dean watched Sassy Cas with a huge grin spreading across his face.

"I dunno." Dean teased. "You are small and quiet and hang out in the woods…"

Cas rolled his eyes again. Dean was absolutely eating this up.

"I'm not small, you're just huge." Cas said stubbornly.

They had finished their breakfast and drained their mugs.

"I'll wash these." Dean said gathering the plates and cups together. "You go get ready."

Cas did just that, stopping to watch Dean in the kitchen washing their plates in the sink before heading into his bedroom. He smiled to himself.

Yeah, perfection.


	31. Chapter 31

Dean finished washing the dishes in no time. He grabbed a clean cloth and dried his hands as he leaned against the counter.

Dean heard the shuffling sound of Meg flapping her wings in her cage and turned his head to look at her.

"Don't worry Cockaroo, I didn't forget about you." Dean said as he went to grab a little dish of her food from the fridge.

"Good morning Meg." Dean said fondly as he opened the little door on her cage.

He set the food down where it normally went, and Meg hopped down to it. She didn't start eating though, she just looked between the dish and Dean like she was waiting for something.

She ate her food just fine last night when Cas had given it to her.

"What's your problem?" Dean asked her.

Meg cocked her head to the side and just continued looking at Dean. Dean started laughing at her, she had to have learned that particular move from Cas, or maybe he picked it up from her? Who knew really.

"C'mon Meg, eat your breakfast." Dean pleaded.

Meg squawked at him, she was getting annoyed at whatever Dean was not understanding.

Dean reached his hand into the cage and Meg hopped herself onto him eagerly. He lifted her out and he thought he finally got it.

"You little sneak, you know I'll let you eat out here." Dean gave the bird a fake scowl. "I spoil you."

He set her down on the coffee table and put her food in front of her there instead. He looked quickly over his shoulder and hoped Cas wasn't going to come back out until she was finished eating.

Well, he was officially whipped by a bird. He sat on the couch and watched her while he thought about how fucked up that was, when Cas came back out to the living room.

"Ok Dean, I think I have everything mostly." Cas was saying when he looked up to see Meg eating on the coffee table.

Damn it, caught red handed.

"Dean. Why is Meg eating on the coffee table?" Cas asked, tilting his head to the side and wearing a confused expression, his eyes narrowing just a little. Damn he was cute.

Dean looked over at Meg and gasped.

"Meg! How did you? What in the world?!" Dean exclaimed. His over acting was painful to watch.

Cas tried to look stern, but couldn't quite stop the smile that was pulling at his lips.

"She's going to refuse to eat in her cage if you let her do that you know. She can be very bossy." Cas told him, crossing his arms and looking at Dean. His eyes and slight smile gave away the fact that he wasn't really that upset over the whole ordeal. Maybe if Dean wasn't so … Dean, he would be. But the fact remained that it was Dean, and Cas just couldn't find it in him to be upset about something like his boyfriend bonding with his pet bird.

Dean reached his right hand up to the back of his neck and rubbed there.

"Yeah, uh, I noticed. I think she's been working me Cas. Playing me for a chump." Dean glared at Meg.

Gabe came bursting through the door right then, gripping at his stomach and stumbling around. He held on to the counter and hung his head like he was in a great deal of pain.

Dean was concerned and went to stand up and help him, but he noticed that Cas barely moved at all. He just turned himself so he was now facing the kitchen instead, his arms still firmly crossed. Dean decided to sit back down and let Cas deal with it.

"Cassy, please….. feed meeee. Your boyfriend is a rabbit, and I need sustenance. Don't let me die, my dear sweet brother. I want to live!" Gabe moaned theatrically.

Cas just watched Gabe's ridiculous little display.

"Dean isn't a rabbit." He said eventually.

Gabe lifted his head to look at his brother.

"I'm dying, and that's all you got from that?" Gabe asked incredulously.

"Well, that's the only part that really bothered me." Cas said wickedly.

Gabe moaned again.

"There's food in the fridge. Feed yourself."

Gabe perked back up and starting digging around in Castiel's fridge.

"What's wrong with you big guy?" Gabe called back into the living room through a mouth full of sandwich meat he had just stuffed in his face. "You on a diet?"

"No." Dean laughed. "I was expecting it to be Sammy and Jess staying with me, and he'll pretty much only eat things that are green." Dean explained. "There is real food in the house if you look harder."

"I just opened the fridge to a plethora of vegetables and shrieked." Gabe admitted. "I knew brother dearest here would cave and come to my rescue."

Cas rolled his eyes at the wide smile Dean was giving him. Cas looked between Dean and Meg and guessed he was just as whipped by his brother and Dean was by her.

Gabe had made himself one of the most overloaded sandwiches Dean thought he had ever seen. He couldn't believe Gabriel was even able to get his mouth around that thing.

Gabe went to make his way into the living room when Meg turned her attention up to him. She quickly leapt over the coffee table and clawed her way up Dean's arm and onto the shoulder that was furthest from Gabriel and hissed. Dean didn't even know if birds could hiss, but that definitely was one.

Gabe hissed back before he decided to sit at the table instead to continue enjoying his mess of a sandwich.

Dean looked at the fresh scratches that were leading up his arm. Megs little claw feet were still clutching on his shoulder tightly.

"Ouch Meg, c'mon. I get that he's a dweeb but you don't gotta take it out on me."

Meg softened her grip a little bit and bonked Deans head with hers.

"That's better." Dean told her.

"I'm going to keep getting everything together." Cas told him as he walked over to his office. Before he went inside he stopped and looked over to Dean again adding, "And then we need to get you shoes."

"You got it boss." Dean said, tipping his imaginary hat to Cas.

Cas just shook his head and went to finish collecting everything.

"Where are you two love birds going? Can I come?" Gabe asked Dean.

"No!" Cas shouted from his office.

"We're going hiking. Look for some warblers or something." Dean hoped he was remembering that right.

"I don't wanna go on your stupid bird hike anyways." Gabe called out so Cas would hear him.

Cas came out of the room and was just finishing doing up the zipper on his back pack. He leaned up against the door frame and looked at Gabe.

"Good. You're still not invited."

Gabe stuck his tongue out at his brother.

Dean started laughing his head off when Cas stuck his out too and made a snarky little face.

"You guys are ridiculous." Dean said to the two of them.

He erupted into another fit of laughter when both brothers stuck their tongues back out at him in unison.

"Ok, sorry Meg, I need to take my boyfriend from you now." Cas said to the bird as he reached out to take her off of Deans shoulder. She did a little shuffle to avoid him, but gave in pretty easily.

"My boyfriend. Mine." Cas repeated when she was facing him.

He put her back in her cage and went to pick up his backpack from where he left it on the floor between the living room and dining room.

Meg was looking a little dejected up on her perch in the cage.

"Sorry Meg." Dean whispered as he went to join Cas.

Cas handed Gabriel his keys. "Please lock the door when you finish eating all of my food. And stay away from anything bird related, especially the actual bird. She hates you, and I've been training her to claw your eyes out if you get too close."

Cas tried his best to look menacing and fell miles short.

"Ok, don't touch the bird and eat all of your food. Got it." Gabe said.

Cas looked at his brother like he wanted to strangle him. He just sighed instead and told Dean they should go.

"Adios a mis hermanos." Gabe said as the two men went out the door.

Cas stopped and smiled. That was actually kind of sweet of Gabe to say. He shook his head and remembered that he hated it when Gabe was sweet, it almost always meant something was coming.

"I should have expanded my rules to include not to touch anything." Cas said as he finished slinging on his back pack.

"Pretty sure that would have just given him the idea." Dean said.

"Yeah, you're right." Cas reached out to grab Deans hand. "Let's go."

They stopped in at an outdoor adventure store first. Cas lead Dean through to the back wall where they had all of their shoes displayed. Dean kept swiveling his head around as they walked through the store, there was a lot of neat stuff in there.

Dean noticed when they walked in that the guy behind the till had acknowledged their entry like he knew Cas, not like he was just another stranger shopping in his store. He guessed Cas must come here pretty often.

His thought was confirmed when a smaller sales associate, this one a woman, walked up to meet them while they looked at the shoes. She looked waaaay too excited to be helping a customer.

"Hello Castiel! What brings you in today?" She asked.

"Hello Molly. We need to get him some shoes so he doesn't scare everything away with his sto…. walking." Cas told her, motioning his head back to Dean to indicate who he was talking about.

"Oh alright. Well, you know what you're looking for I'm sure." Molly said, smiling dopily at Cas.

Was Dean imagining it or were those little hearts floating around her head?

Dean stayed quiet and just watched. He was interested to see if Cas was going to pick up on it as well. That's when another female sales person came up behind Molly. This one was a taller brunette.

"Castiel! You're back. Weren't you just in here a week and a half ago?"

That was a pretty good memory the girl had. Dean smirked, he was willing to bet she could tell you exactly what day at time Cas had last been there. It was probably in her day planner with little heart's and "Mrs. Novak" signatures surrounding it.

"Oh hello Rebecca." Cas said as he smiled at the new girl.

Dean was one hundred percent sure that Cas had no idea what was happening. He was doing his best not so split his own face apart with his smile. Yeah, his boyfriend was crazy hot.

Rebecca looked like she was going to melt when Cas's smile hit her.

From behind Dean he heard quick footsteps and suddenly another woman appeared. She was breathing quickly, she must have been late hearing the news that everyone's favorite sexy ornithologist was in the building.

She didn't even notice Dean standing beside her, and he caught the sound of her sighing as she noticed the other two girls had gotten there first.

"Hi Castiel." She said while she walked over to him as well. "I see these two are already helping you."

Dean caught the quick glare she shot the other two women.

"Yes Julia. I really do have a handle on what I am doing here though, so you don't all have to worry about helping me. I can let you know if we need a size."

"I'll get them for you." Julia's hand shot out at the same time as Rebecca's.

This was something else to watch. Dean had a hard time not laughing at the face Rebecca put on when she was too slow on the draw.

Molly reached her hand out and laid it on Cas's arm a little too long. Cas wasn't really paying attention to her, but he turned to face her when she started touching him. He looked down at the hand that was on him and back to Molly, his usual confused face in tow.

"If you need any help. Let me know." Molly said like she was dreaming.

"I will. Thank you."

Molly and the other two women stood there watching Cas look at shoes for an unreasonable amount of time before they started to walk away together, whispering as they went. Dean saw that they weren't really going back to work so much as they were hiding behind a rack to watch Cas from a distance.

Dean adored Castiel's complete lack of understanding when it came to social cues. He walked up to stand beside Cas at a respectful distance as to not break the girls hearts. Not yet anyways.

"So… are you a celebrity and just failed to mention it to me?" Dean asked, trying his best to keep the humour out of his voice. He wanted Cas's reactions to be authentic and not influenced by Dean in any way.

"What? No. Dean, what are you talking about? I'm looking at shoes."

Cas graced Dean with that stupidly adorable head tilt and Dean almost lost it.

Hold it together Winchester.

"Are you sure? You seem pretty famous around here. You even have groupies." Dean tilted his head and eyes towards where the three women were hiding out.

Dean watched as Cas's eyes went to where he had motioned and spotted them. Dean could see that Cas still wasn't catching his drift, like, at all.

"Those are employees Dean. I do come here quite often, they are just very helpful."

"Are they always this helpful?" Dean asked, he smile widening.

"Yes actually. Sometimes there are more of them."

Dean started laughing. That was it.

"What's so funny?" Cas asked, looking a little bit bewildered by Deans reaction to his statement. "Are you … are you going crazy?"

"No Cas, I'm not going crazy." Dean said through his laughter. He took a deep breath and regained some of his control. No, wait scrap that, Dean started into another laughing fit. The look on Cas's face was too much.

"Sorry, whew. Yeah, sorry." Dean finally said. "Cas, those 'employees' are totally in love with you."

"What? No." Cas said, scrunching up his nose.

"Yeah, they definitely are." Dean told him, crossing his arms. "Think about it."

"Ok. Well, they do always come and help me right away. I always come here because the service is excellent."

"What about Molly's little arm grope? Or the way those other two couldn't volunteer to get you shoes fast enough?"

"Well. That." Cas seemed to be thinking very very hard.

"Ok, relax, I don't want you to pull anything." Dean said as he watched Cas think.

"You can be pretty dumb for a smart guy Cas." Dean said with a small shake of his head. His cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much.

"I still think you are exaggerating Dean." Cas said as he turned back to the wall of shoes. At this rate they were never going to get out of there.

"Should I prove it?" Dean asked. He kind of really hoped he would say yes.

"How would you do that?" Cas asked like Dean had just said the dumbest, most impossible thing he had ever heard.

Dean turned to face Cas and reached out to pull him in by his waist. His one hand wrapped around Cas's neck and Dean brought him in for a long slow kiss.

Cas didn't know what Dean was doing, but he could feel free to keep being a crazy person if this is what it meant for him.

There was a series of gasps followed by disappointed moans.

Dean pulled his face back to watch Cas react. Cas's eyes widened when he heard the three women react to their kiss. Yeah, ok, he had to admit they sounded really disappointed with their little reveal. He looked behind Dean to see all three of them with sad eyes and their mouths hanging open.

Cas quickly moved his head back so he was hidden behind Dean again.

"Ok, well, maybe." Cas conceded.

"Definitely. Come here my oblivious little weirdo." Dean said as he pulled Cas in for another kiss.

Once they had finished Cas stepped back and looked at Dean. "Can we please stop breaking everyone's hearts and just find you some shoes already?"  
"Alright." Dean said with a smile and started actually looking at the shoes with Cas.

It took them about half an hour to finally pick a pair. Dean was having way to much fun having the girls go and get him shoes to try. He wasn't trying to be cruel, he was just gloating a little bit. No harm, no foul.

He put his boots in the box that his new shoes came in and wore the new ones up to the till. He paid for the shoes and noticed that the guy working the register looked to be in a better mood than when they first came in. He was especially friendly with Dean and gave him a fifteen percent discount on his shoes, for really no good reason. Unless of course you count Dean taking Cas off the playing field for every woman who worked there a good reason.

They left the store together and walked around the block to where the Impala was parked. These shoes were actually super comfortable Dean noticed as they went.

"Alright, I have my new super quiet sneaking shoes. Now where am I going?" Dean asked as he unlocked Cas's door and opened it for him.

Cas got in and waited for Dean. Once they were together again, Cas gave him a brief explanation of the park they were going to. It was a bit out of the way, but Dean didn't mind that at all. He put the car in gear and started them on their way.

They were cruising along a long stretch of highway at a good pace when Dean's phone started ringing in his pocket. He reached down to get it, but before he could answer, he was met with a "Don't you dare." from Cas.

Dean looked at the death glare Cas was giving him and handed the phone to him instead.

"You get it then. It's Sam." Dean said.

"Thank you." Cas said as he answered the call.

"Hello Sam. No, you dialed Dean, he's driving right now and I don't want to die today. Actually wait, I'll put you on speaker."

Cas took the phone away from his ear and pushed the little button to turn on the speaker phone.

"Sam?" Cas asked.

"Hey. Am I on?"

"Heya Sammy." Dean said.

"Hey Dean. Just wanted to fill you guys in on Jess and the baby."

"How is she?" Cas asked.

"She's doing better. We got in kind of late last night, but we went in to the doctor this morning. Jess has been put on bed rest."

"Ooof I bet she's pissed." Dean said.

"Yeah, that's an understatement." Sam laughed. "They said the little lady is trying to make an early appearance, but we aren't quite in the safe zone yet."

"Oh goodness." Cas said. Dean looked over at Cas and smiled. Oh goodness, who says that? Little old ladies, and Cas apparently.

"Well tell her to hang in there, and clench." Dean said.

Cas smacked Deans arm with the hand that was holding the phone.

Sam was laughing on the line.

"I'll pass on the message. If either of you guys want to call her over the next few days while I'm at work feel free. She's already whining incessantly that the boredom is going to kill her."

"I'm not whining! I'm boooored." Jess said quietly in the background. "Tell Cas to play Scrabble with me on Facebook."

"Let her know I'll start a game." Cas said, absolutely beaming.

"What? She doesn't want to play with me?" Dean feigned being hurt.

"No, I think she wants a challenge Dean." Sam said flatly.

"Shut up Sammy." Dean said over Cas's laughter.

"I'm going to go attempt to cheer up my wife. I'll talk to you guys later."

"See ya Sammy."

"Goodbye Sam."

Cas set Deans phone down on the seat when the call ended. He reached into his own pocket to pull out his phone and open up his Facebook.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked him.

"Starting a game of scrabble with Jess. Keep up Dean." Cas said, pretending he was exhausted.

Dean laughed at Cas's sassy attitude and just kept driving. They would be at the park soon, and based on how their last trip to a park went, Dean was kind of excited to get there.


	32. Chapter 32

They pulled into the park about fifteen minutes after they had ended their phone call with Sam. Dean found a parking spot in the crowded lot after a short while of searching. That's right, it was a holiday, and people were going to be out enjoying the weather with their families.

"I hope all these people aren't going to scare the birds away." Cas said, almost mirroring Deans own thoughts. Dean hadn't been so much concerned about the birds as he was the lack of privacy.

Oh well, they were here for Cas and his birds anyways. Dean could keep it in his pants for an afternoon.

Dean got out of the car and stretched. It had been a longer drive than he expected. It was hot out today, and the sun was beating down on them mercilessly. The only clouds in the sky were the light white kind that stretched out thinly across the sky. They weren't going to be offering them any kind of relief from the heat.

Cas put his backpack down on the hood of Deans car and dug around inside it. Once he found what he was looking for he pulled out a bottle of sunscreen and tossed it to Dean.

"Uhh, no thanks." Dean said as he looked down at the bottle in his hand.

Cas just gave him a look that reminded Dean a lot of Sammy. His boyfriend was giving him the bitch face.

"Dean, you are going to burn and then you are going to cry." Cas said assertively.

"I won't cry." Dean said with a small roll of his eyes.

"You will cry, and I will feel bad for you. Everybody will lose because you were too stubborn to put on a little sunscreen."

"It makes me all greasy and smell weird." Dean complained, but he opened the bottle and squirted some into his hand anyways.

Dean started rubbing the lotion on any exposed skin and found it actually didn't smell too bad. Not like the stuff he had to wear as a kid.

"Don't forget your face." Cas reminded him.

Dean groaned as he started rubbing the dumb sunscreen on his face and ears. He made sure to cover the back of his neck well before Cas had to remind him.

"Thank you." Cas said as Dean tossed the bottle back to him and started applying it to himself.

Dean watched as Cas did it. How was he even sexy putting on sunscreen? Dean was wondering, not for the first time, if Cas had him under some kind of a spell.

"Ok." Cas said, snapping Dean back into reality. "Now, come here."

Dean did as he was asked and went to stand next to Cas. He stepped back quickly when he saw Cas was holding up a can and was going to start spraying Dean with it.

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked, probably more shrilly than he would ever own up to.

"Don't be a baby, its bug spray. Do you want the bugs to get you?"

"No, not really. Why? Are there going to be a lot of bugs?" Dean was being stubborn and he knew it.

"In the woods? Yeah, there will be a lot of bugs." Cas rolled his eyes.

Dean stepped forwards and held out his arms, his face screwing up in anticipation for the spray down he was about to receive.

Cas chuckled and started spraying Dean with a light coating of the bug spray. It smelled awful, and it did nothing to help Dean's facial expression.

"Ok, now do me." Cas said handing the spray to Dean.

Dean smiled seductively and stepped in closer to Cas. He grabbed him and leaned him up against the side of his car before Cas could protest. He put their mouths together and started kissing Cas deeply. Their tongues were dancing in each other's mouths for a while, and Dean had started getting grabby before Cas finally laughed and shoved Dean off of him.

"Not like that. That's for later. With the spray please." Cas held out his arms the way Dean had.

Dean took it, happy with the promise of later. He covered Cas with the foul spray until he felt confident he hadn't missed anywhere.

Dean handed the spray back to Cas when he was finished and Cas put everything back into his back pack. He zipped it up and threw it on his back.

"I have everything else we need in here. Are you ready?"

"I think so." Dean said. He didn't know if he was ready, he wouldn't have thought to put on sunscreen and bug spray on his own, so who knew what else he could be forgetting.

"Do you want me to carry that?" Dean asked as they walked together towards a pathway leading into the park.

"I've got it. You just focus on keeping up." Cas told him.

Focus on keeping up?! What was Cas trying to say. Dean could go on a hike and keep up with him just fine.

"And when we get up higher, I'll tell you when I need you to start being quiet."

"That should be easy with my new sneaking shoes." Dean said, wiggling one of his feet in front of him.

"You'll need to use your sneaking feet as well." Cas said with a small laugh.

"I can do that." Dean said with a nod.

Half an hour later, Dean was looking up at his boyfriend walking ahead of him with a mixture of awe and annoyance. Cas's earlier comment about keeping up was making perfect sense now. Dean was pretty sure this hike was going to kill him. He was sweating buckets and getting slower and slower with every step. Cas looked like he could go on forever, and the sweat on him made him look incredibly hot. Not hot like Dean was right then, hot like 'cover of a magazine' hot.

Cas stopped and turned to make sure Dean was still with him. He smiled at him as he caught up.

"Are you doing ok? Do we need to take a break?" Cas asked, looking Deans sweaty body over.

"If you really need a break that badly, yeah, we can do that." Dean said through strained breaths. He reached his hand up to wipe some of the sweat away from his face and eyes.

Cas laughed and headed over to a toppled tree that was lying in a well shaded spot. He patted beside him and hoped Dean could make it that far.

Dean managed to get over there and flop himself down beside Cas.

"Sorry, we can stop more for the rest of the way. I'm usually by myself when I do this, I don't mean to push you too hard." Cas said as he handed Dean a new water bottle.

"Naw, I'm fine." Dean said, finally catching his breath and downing a good portion of the water. "I'm just hanging back so I can check out your ass." Dean grinned and bumped his shoulder against Cas's.

"Oh? And how's the view?" Cas asked, a sexy grin appearing on his face.

"Excellent. Perfect. Amazing." Dean said as he leaned over to start kissing Cas.

Cas didn't mind how disgustingly sweaty Dean was, so that was good. Honestly, Cas didn't think Dean could ever look bad to him.

"It's probably all that hiking you do." Dean said as he pulled back from their kiss.

"Could be." Cas hummed as he looked Dean over.

He must have been staring too long since Dean felt the need to ask him what he was looking at.

"You. You're very handsome." Cas said, still watching Dean intensely.

Dean loved having those blue eyes on him. Cas could stare all he wanted. Dean would just stare right back forever and be content.

They sat in the shade and caught their breath for a while. Cas had scooted closer to Deans side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Ugh, I'm gross, sorry." Dean said as Cas's arm brushed against his sweaty back.

Cas laughed gently. "I don't mind. Are you ready to keep going?"

Dean groaned. "How much farther do we need to go?"

"We're about half way there." Cas told him.

Dean let out another long groan and rolled his head back and flopped it over so it was resting on Cas's shoulder.

"You'll survive. Do you need me to carry you?" Cas teased.

"Ugh. No. I'm a man, I can do this." Dean said to Cas, but it really sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

"The trip back down will be easier. C'mon." Cas said standing up and holding his hand out to Dean.

Dean sighed and grabbed it to let Cas pull him back up to his feet.

They walked together another fifteen minutes before Cas made them take another short break. He could tell this was killing Dean and was going to be more liberal with their rest stops, hopefully without damaging Dean's ego.

Dean was grateful for the extra rest. The hike was getting a lot harder the higher up they got, and he thought it was hard before. He was very much developing a new respect for what Cas did.

On their third break, Cas let Dean know they were going to have to start being quiet soon. They were out far enough now that they weren't coming across any other hikers. Dean wasn't surprised, nobody in their right mind would do this hike for a family fun day. It was cruel and unusual. If he didn't love Cas so damn much he would have laid down and died ages ago.

They continued on for five or so minutes before Cas turned back to Dean and started speaking in a lowered voice.

"Ok, now shh." Cas said, his own footsteps becoming nearly silent.

Dean did his best to match them, but he was still very audible with his foot falls. He was tired, but he tried his best.

Cas looked back at Dean after a few minutes and started exaggerating the way he was walking, hoping Dean would catch on to how to make himself quieter.

Dean tried, and his steps did become a little softer.

Damn it, he did have stompy feet.

Cas seemed pleased with the improvement though. Dean was actually doing a lot better than he thought he would.

Dean followed closely behind Cas, glad that they were at the walking quietly part of their hike. Dean was pretty sure that meant they were almost done the 'going up' portion of the day.

Cas stopped quietly ahead of Dean and looked back, pressing his finger against his mouth in the international symbol for "Shh."

Dean rolled his eyes. He was already as "shhh'd" as he could be.

Cas walked quietly over to a tree nearby and set down his bag. He somehow opened it silently and started pulling things out of it. Dean just watched and marveled at him. It was like Cas was in a real life version of mute.

Dean snuck up behind him, still crunching the ground beneath him as he walked. He was going to have to get Cas to teach him how to be so deathly silent. Cas had more practice, so Dean forgave himself.

Cas handed Dean a pair of binoculars and pointed to where he was looking as he lifted his own to his face.

Dean put his eyes to his own pair and couldn't focus on anything. He was mostly catching tree branches and bits of sky. Everything was jumping around way to quickly as he tried to move them around so he could see something.

He lowered the binoculars from his face and was frustrated. He looked over at Cas and saw he was just staring at him with a wide smile.

Dean was kind of bad at this, but Cas found him absolutely adorable. Dean was probably getting motion sickness from how quickly he was shooting the binoculars around. Cas was enjoying watching his boyfriend try though, this was really sweet of Dean to do with him.

"What?" Dean mouthed silently to Cas when he saw that he was watching him.

"You're funny." Cas whispered back. "Go slower, and try to only focus on one thing at a time. Here." Cas reached out and helped Dean keep the binoculars steady, pointing them in the direction he was trying to indicate earlier.

Ok, that was a lot better, and way less jumpy. Dean could make out something in a far tree. A nest maybe?

"Is that a nest?" Dean whispered.

"Yeah." Cas whispered and reached back into his back pack to pull out a book. He flipped quietly through the pages until he found the one he was looking for. The pages all had pictures of birds beside their names and descriptions written out alongside them.

"These are what we are looking for." Cas whispered as he pointed to a few of the birds on the page. He flipped it to point out a couple more on the next one.

Dean studied the images and tried to memorise them. Dean would take Sammy to the library a lot when they were growing up, since Sam was a nerd and he liked it there. Dean would grab any book that had pictures and found he enjoyed those "I Spy" books. He thought this was kind of like a real life version of that. Thinking about it that way made Dean a little more excited to start looking for these little warblers.

Dean put the binoculars back up to his face and was working on getting the hang of them. It became a lot easier after Cas had told him to slow down.

Dean got excited when he finally saw a bird through them.

"What's that?" Dean whispered a little more loudly than he meant to.

Cas laughed quietly. "That's a Green Heron."

"Oh." Dean said quietly, and went back to looking.

Dean saw a lot more birds through his binoculars after that, but none were matching the ones Cas had shown him pictures of. He was starting to get a little discouraged by it, and wondered how in the hell Cas could be so patient.

Dean smiled to himself. It made sense Cas was a really patient person, he could deal with Dean after all.

At some point Cas had pulled out a little note pad and was making notes quietly beside him. Dean didn't know what Cas was seeing so differently than he was that he could be making notes on. Then again, Dean wasn't going for his bird man PhD.

After a few more minutes of looking, Dean felt Cas's hand gently fall on his shoulder. Dean looked over at him to see him smiling and pointing off in completely the opposite direction than Dean had been previously looking. Dean put the binoculars back up to his face and let Cas move them where they were supposed to be pointing.

Dean got excited when he saw a couple of the warblers that Cas had pointed out in his book all sitting together on a tree branch.

"That's the gold one right?" Dean asked.

"No, that's the blue winged warbler. It's confusing because they aren't blue. But," Cas reached out and moved Deans binoculars further to the right. "Do you see them?" He asked.

Dean did, they looked a lot like the other ones, except their colors were opposite and they had more black on them. Grey bodies and yellow wings.

"Those are the gold ones?" Dean asked.

"Yeah."

"Cool." Dean said as he watched the birds.

Cas smiled. They were cool. He was really happy he had Dean here with him.

Dean lowered his binoculars and rubbed at his eyes. They were starting to get sore from the magnification.

"Why don't you stop for a little bit. I want to take some notes." Cas whispered to him.

"Ok." Dean liked that idea, and he quietly crawled himself over to lean his back against a tree. He was exhausted, and he closed his eyes to rest them. The sounds of nature around them and the cool shade of the trees made Dean sleepy. There was a gentle breeze that was helping him cool off despite the hot sun. It didn't take long before he completely passed out.

Dean woke up to Cas speaking gently to someone. It wasn't Dean though, so Dean kept his eyes closed and just listened. He peeked a little bit and saw Cas was talking to an older couple. They both had binoculars and Cas was telling them something about something. He caught the word warbler a lot. He guessed he was naming different kinds. There were a lot of different ones in that book. Dean just listened to Cas as he explained things to the couple, who were completely enthralled with the information they were gathering. The older gentleman was flipping through Cas's notebook, gently humming and nodding his head.

Dean finally opened his eyes all the way and just watched them for a while. Cas was so smart, Dean liked listening to him, even if he had no idea what he was talking about. Cas lit up when he was talking about things he was passionate about, and Dean loved the way he looked when he got like that. Cas could be talking about anything and Dean would just enjoy the sound of his voice.

Cas had his back to Dean, so he hadn't noticed that he was awake yet. The older lady he was talking to noticed Dean first and gave him a smile and wave. "Your friend is awake." She said to Cas quietly, and Cas turned around to look.

Dean awkwardly returned the ladies wave. He caught Cas's smile and returned it. How long had he been asleep for?

"I should probably take him home." Cas whispered to the couple, as he started packing up his things. Dean got up as quietly as he could and went over to where everybody else was. He put his hand over Cas's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

"Feeling better?" Cas asked him.

"Yeah. Thanks. Hi, I'm Dean." He said to the couple.

"Doris, and this is my husband Phil." Doris said happily. "We ran into Castiel out here and what a lucky find!" She chuckled.

"Yeah, he's a bird genius." Dean said, feeling a little bit proud to be with the bird genius.

"Are you an ornithologist as well?" Phil asked Dean.

"No, definitely not. I'm just the boyfriend." Dean said, wondering how an older couple was going to react to that.

"Oh goodness. You're a couple?" Doris asked, her eyes widening.

Yep, old ladies and Cas were the only ones who said "Oh goodness."

"Yes." Cas said comfortably. He was surprised Dean offered that up so freely. He shouldn't have been, but he still worried a little bit about how Dean was going to be in public. Cas knew the whole thing was still a lot newer to him, and he hadn't been exposed to the shitty people out there as often as Cas had been in the past. It was never fun when you were honest and then find out the previously lovely person you were talking to was a homophobe.

Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case with Phil and Doris.

"Well isn't that sweet of you to come all the way out here with him." Doris smiled at Dean.

"Yeah it is. The hike up almost killed me." Dean laughed quietly. He was getting the hang of this whole being quiet thing.

Phil held his hand out to Cas when he was finished packing everything up. "Thank you for all the information Castiel."

Doris chimed in as well. "I can't wait to go and check out those places you mentioned. Thank you very much."

"It was good meeting you two." Cas said as he reached out to shake Phil's hand. He turned back to Dean.

"Are you ready? Downhill will be much better."

Dean sighed. "It better be."

It was a lot easier going down. It took them half as long as the hike up did. By the time they reached the Impala, Dean was still about ready to pass out again.

"Thank you Dean." Cas said genuinely as Dean unlocked Cas's door.

"For what? Not dying? Because that was a struggle." Dean laughed.

"No. Well, yeah that too. But I mean for coming out with me." Cas said quietly.

Dean stopped before he could open the passenger door on the Impala and wrapped Cas up in his arms instead.

"That was fun, in an exhausting way." Dean teased. "I like being with you Cas. You can drag me up a mountain any time you want. Just remember that sometimes you may actually have to drag me."

Cas laughed and kissed Dean.

Dean smiled down at him.

"I need a shower. I'm disgusting. And I believe you said something about later?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I believe I did. Let's get home." Cas chuckled and gave Dean another quick peck before Dean released him and finished opening his car door.


	33. Chapter 33

The traffic was bad going home. Really bad. It was bumper to bumper all because some jack ass didn't know how to drive. Damn holiday bringing all these extra people out. It was hot, and Dean was miserable. He even found himself longing to be in Sam's truck, with all that beautiful, beautiful A/C.

Dean shook his head. No. He wasn't that low yet, he wouldn't trade Baby for anything, especially some big truck, with all its fancy features, and cup holders …

No.

Dean turned to Cas, who was looking just as put out by the traffic and the heat as he was.

"This is the worst." Dean moaned as he lowered his head down to the steering wheel.

"Yes, I agree. We may die in here Dean. How long has it been?" Cas asked.

"Forever." Dean answered miserably with his head still lowered.

"That sounds about right." Cas sighed as he tilted his head back.

Dean turned his head to look over at Cas.

"You could take your shirt off. That would cool you down." Dean said with a sly smile.

Cas started laughing.

"No, you're a perv. And anyways, I am pretty sure this shirt has melted on to me. We are one now, this shirt and I."

"You're weird." Dean sighed as he watched Cas picking away at his drenched shirt.

"No, I'm hot, and I may be suffering from heat stroke." Cas said shaking his head.

Could that happen? Could they actually die in here? What if Cas got heat stroke?

"That, you can't right? Are we going to die?" Dean asked, maybe a little more worriedly than he meant to.

"No. I brought lots of water, we are going to live."

"Ok. Good." Dean said as they creeped forward another car length.

"So … You're pretty good at hiking." Dean said, trying to start a conversation that didn't involve them melting to death.

"Uh, yeah. I'm pretty good at hiking." Cas said through a smile. "You're, well, not so much?"

Dean started laughing. "No, not so much. To be fair I'm a little out of practice."

"You did well. You made it to where we were going, well almost." Cas said, instantly regretting his over sharing.

"Almost?" Dean asked.

Damn it, there it was. Cas winced.

"I thought making you actually climb at the end was a little too much to ask." Cas admitted. He had stopped short of where he would normally have gone if it had just been him.

"I could have done it."

"Yes, you probably could have. We were in a nice spot though, and we saw what we went to see."

They crawled forward another space. Seriously, were they ever going to get those damn cars off of the road?

"I would have whined a lot hey?" Dean asked. It was nice of Cas not to make him climb anything, even if it bruised Deans ego slightly.

"Yeah, a lot." Cas agreed with a laugh.

Dean loved the sound of Cas laughing. He couldn't help himself from smiling whenever he heard it.

"What were you taking notes on?" Dean asked.

Cas looked over to Dean and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Well, how many of them there were. And where we were. What kinds we saw. Um, their size, and genders. It's kind of boring." Cas said self-consciously.

"I dunno, you seemed to like it."

"I don't think it's boring. When I say it out loud though it's pretty dry."

They moved two car lengths! Was this it? Were they finally moving?

"Are you sure it's not just cuz I won't understand what you're talking about?" Dean asked.

Cas laughed softly. "I guess maybe. You're tired, and it's hot, if I talk about birds I will probably put you to sleep."

"Ok, fine. I could talk about cars." Dean said, shooting Cas a wicked grin.

Cas groaned.

They were moving again. That was another two car lengths.

"Are we actually moving?" Cas asked, leaning forward in his seat. He could see the lights of a tow truck flashing off in the distance.

"I think so. Babe, we're gonna live!" Dean said with an over enthusiastic smile.

There it was again. Cas guessed he had a pet name. Considering that Dean called his car, the love of his life, Baby, it was a pretty good one.

"Yes, that's good. Especially since I was lying about the water." Cas admitted.

"You what?! Well, whatever. We're cruising now!" Dean said as he stuck his hand out the open window. They were still moving incredibly slowly, but hell, they were moving!

It still took them ages to finally get through the traffic, but eventually they were going at a normal speed again. By the time they had finally arrived back at the apartment building it had taken them two hours to get home.

"I'm gonna stop at my place and shower." Dean said as they went through the front doors.

"Good idea, you're gross." Cas said as he reached out to press the call button on the elevator.

"Look who's talking, mister 'one with my shirt'" Dean said as he plucked at Castiel's damp shirt.

"Ugh. Yeah." Cas said, looking down at himself disgusted.

They walked up to Dean's door, which was locked. He had to let himself in and handed Cas his keys.

"Gabe has yours." Dean reminded him when Cas looked confused.

"Oh yeah. That's convenient." Cas said, looking at the keys approvingly.

"I thought it would be." Dean said, leaning in to give Cas a quick kiss before he went inside.

"I'll come up when I'm clean again." Dean said as he wrapped his arm around Cas.

"Ew, don't touch me." Cas said, which only made Dean pull him in tighter.

Cas relented and leaned in with him.

"Yes ok. Now go, you stink. Should I order something to eat? Gabriel definitely ate everything I had."

"Chinese?" Dean asked.

"Deal. Now release me." Cas said as Dean stepped back to go inside.

"See you soon." Dean said, hating leaving Cas, even if it was for a good reason, and was literally only going to take him fifteen minutes.

"Yes. See you soon." Cas said turning up the hall as Dean closed the door.

Once he was inside Dean suddenly felt very alone. Damn, what was this man doing to him? He just felt so much better when he was with Cas than when he wasn't.

Dean wondered briefly where Gabe could be. It didn't really matter, he was a fully grown man. He was probably out doing whatever weird little guys did.

Dean went into his bedroom and started peeling off his damp clothes. He decided to put them straight in the wash instead of the hamper, this pile of clothes was not going to smell good after a night sitting in the laundry. Once that was started he made his way to the shower.

It was bliss. All the sweat, and dirt rinsing off his body and swirling down the drain was an amazing feeling. Dean didn't even realize he was so dirty until he saw the way his skin changed color under the water. His muscles were starting to ache from the long hike, followed by the sweaty inactivity of the traffic jam. The hot water released some of that tension and it was wonderful. Dean could have stayed under the water all night, but he had somewhere to be. As great as the shower felt, he would rather be upstairs with his dorky boyfriend and his crazy little bird.

Dean quickly washed his body and hair. By the time he stepped out of the shower he felt like a new person. He quickly threw on some fresh clothes and was heading out the door when he decided to turn back and grab one of his DVD's.

What would Cas like? Dean decided to just grab a few of the cases and let Cas pick.

There, now he was ready. He locked up and made his way upstairs.

Cas got into his apartment and was actually pleased that Gabe had left the A/C running. It was wasteful, and normally Cas would have been annoyed, but he was too hot and sweaty to care.

Meg squawked when Cas entered the apartment, acknowledging his arrival.

"Hey Meg." Cas said tiredly to her. "I need to shower. I'll visit with you in a second."

Meg turned around in her cage to face the wall. She knew just how to make Cas feel guilty.

Cas huffed and looked at her. He would be quick, and he was disgusting. Shower was the first order of business.

He went into his bathroom and stripped off his sweaty clothes. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water. It streamed over his head and his body, and was … orange … and sweet. Cas licked his lips and tasted Tang.

"Damn it Gabe." Cas muttered.

This wasn't the first time by a long shot that Gabe had pulled this one on him. Cas just accepted that he was going to have a tang shower for the first few minutes and stepped out of the water to wash his body instead. If anything Cas was just glad he went with Tang instead of Kool-Aid this time.

Once the water was almost running clear again Cas stepped back under to rinse the soap off of himself.

He finished up, and got dressed. When he went back out into the living room where it was so nice and cool, and he was clean and dry, he felt much better. He grabbed his phone and called the little Chinese place that delivered nearby. He just ordered more of what he would normally order himself and hoped Dean was going to like it. The man ate pretty much anything that wasn't vegetables Cas had noticed, so it would probably be fine.

With food ordered, and his body clean, Cas decided to start a load of laundry and wash the pile of dishes his brother had so lovingly left for him.

Cas was standing at the sink, waiting for it to be sufficiently full of water when Dean came in. He turned to smile at his arrival and turned back to the sink to stop the water.

Dean put the DVD's down on the table and walked up behind Cas, wrapping his arms around him. He sniffed at Cas's hair.

"Why do you smell like oranges?" He asked.

"Gabe." Cas said simply, like that explained everything.

"Hmm." Dean murmured, and started smelling behind Cas's ear and down his neck. "I like it."

Cas couldn't help but smile. Dean's nose and lips brushing up against his skin was giving him chills.

Dean gripped his hands around Cas's hips and started making small circles with his thumbs. He leaned down to kiss Cas's shoulder.

"I'll dry." Dean said, grabbing a clean drying towel.

The two of them finished up the dishes pretty quickly, considering how many Gabe had managed to produce. They chatted while they did them, Cas telling Dean about the time Gabe used red Kool-Aid in his shower and Cas had been pink for most of the week.

"He's a brat." Dean laughed as Cas finished his story.

"I put blue dye in his shampoo. He got his." Cas told him, laughing at the memory.

Dean had finished putting the last of the dishes away.

"I ordered food." Cas said as Dean turned back around from the cupboard.

"I brought some movies. I thought maybe we could watch something. I don't know what you like so I just grabbed a few." Dean said pointing to the small pile of DVD's on the table.

Cas walked over to the stack and started looking through them.

"I don't know what any of these are." He said as he scanned the cases.

"What? How is that even possible?" Dean asked bewildered. He had some great movies in that pile.

"How about this one?" Cas said, holding up Pulp Fiction.

"You haven't seen Pulp Fiction? Well, yeah, that's a good place to start. Do you live under a rock?"

"No. I live here." Cas said looking around his apartment.

Dean rolled his eyes and took the movie from Cas. He went into the living room and placed the case on the coffee table before he went over to see Meg.

"Hey Cockaroo." Dean said as he brought her out. "Were we ignoring you?"

Meg was instantly milking all the attention she was getting.

Cas was watching Dean while he cooed at his bird. She was pulling out all her best moves with him.

"You were scared of her when you first met her." Cas reminded him.

"Yeah, well that's cuz she's so weird looking. Aren't you?" Dean said to Meg in a voice he honestly never thought he would use. He always thought people who talked to children and animals that way were pretty lame.

"I was a little scared of you when I met you too." Dean told Cas with a small laugh.

"Because I'm weird looking?" Cas asked, mock offended.

"No." Dean laughed. "The opposite. You were too damn sexy for my brain to work properly and deny it."

"Oh. Well, that worked out nicely for me then." Cas said with a gentle hum.

"Me too. You wanna watch a movie Cockaroo? Apparently you two have been deprived of good cinema. I can't let this stand."

Meg nodded to Dean solemnly.

There was a knock at the door and Cas went to grab their food. He was starving.

Cas set everything up at the coffee table while Dean put their movie in. Once that was done, Cas went to grab a dish of Megs food and set it down on the opposite end of the coffee table for Meg.

Dean started laughing when he saw Cas was going to let Meg eat with them outside her cage. Cas just rolled his eyes and motioned for Dean to come and sit with him.

"She's going to like you better soon if I don't give in a little bit." Cas told him once they were seated together.

"I think she already likes me better hey Meg?" Dean asked the bird.

Meg looked up at the two of them and shook her head no before she went back to her dish.

"Good girl." Cas laughed and reached out to grab a box off the table.

Dean pressed play on their movie and they both ate and relaxed together. Dean thought watching Cas was more entertaining than watching the actual movie. Dean had seen it dozens of times anyways, but Cas obviously hadn't known what to expect. There were quite a few 'Oh goodness' and 'Why on earth would he do that?' thrown out, and Dean was loving it. Meg was really getting into the movie as well. She would get all worked up at the especially violent scenes, which made Dean laugh. He loved these two so much.

By the time the movie was over, Cas looked like his eyes were bugging out of his head.

"What did you just make me watch? That was…"

"Awesome?" Dean finished for him.

"Well, I guess. It could have done with less cursing, and violence, and drugs, and sex, and rape. Really? Rape?" Cas asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. But uh, other than all those things what did you think?"

"It was entertaining." Cas laughed. "Meg really liked it."

They looked down to see Meg hopping around excitedly on the floor.

"Yeah, she was really into it." Dean laughed as he went to pick her up and put her back in her cage.

"Are you going to stay here tonight?" Cas asked as he started cleaning up from their dinner. It was still fairly early, but they were both exhausted from their day. "I have to go in to the office tomorrow, but I should be able to start working from home more again now that the whole Crowley debacle is mostly over with."

"Yeah, I wanna stay if you aren't sick of me yet. I took tomorrow off too since I thought Sam and Jess were gonna be here. Maybe I'll hang out with Gabe."

Cas just gave him a look that clearly meant he thought Dean was out of his mind.

"I like him, shut up." Dean laughed.

"He made me smell like Tang." Cas said disapprovingly.

"Yeah, and you smell delicious. I'll have to thank him."

Cas just rolled his eyes and continued cleaning up. Once he was finished, he washed his hands and met Dean in the living room. Dean pulled Cas in to a hug and yawned.

"I'm tired."

"Me too. Let's go to bed." Cas said as he stepped back, but Dean wasn't letting go. He kept moving himself back and just dragged Dean along with him towards the bedroom.

Dean finally relented by the time Cas had pulled him to the bed. They weren't going to be able to undress if Dean didn't let go. They both stripped down to their under ware and Cas switched off the light. He crawled into the bed beside Dean and was suddenly being pulled in tightly to lay directly on top of him.

"Whoa." Cas said, surprised by the sudden movement.

Dean laughed. "Sorry."

Cas just chuckled and planted a kiss on Deans lips.

Dean slackened his grip a little bit so Cas was just laying on top of him. It was dark in the room thanks to Cas's curtains, even though the sun was still working on setting fully outside. Dean could just make out the outline of the man on top of him.

Cas folded his hands over Deans chest and rested his chin on top of them.

"I love you." He said softly to Dean, before he lowered his face to yawn against Dean's chest.

"I love you." Dean said as he reached one hand up to pet Cas's hair.

That felt nice, Cas melted into the touch. Dean leaned his head down and started sniffing Cas's hair.

Cas laughed softly. "Quit smelling me you weirdo."

"I can't help it. You smell like summer when Sammy and I were little. We basically lived off that stuff. And KD, but you don't smell like macaroni."

"That's good I guess." Cas mumbled as he rolled off of Dean and laid his head in the crook of his arm.

Dean reached his other hand over and started lazily running his fingers up and down Cas's chest and stomach. He traced his fingers lightly over the lines of his body and just kind of lost himself in it for a while.

"That feels nice." Cas sighed.

"Mhm." Dean agreed and he ran his fingers over Castiels hip bone and along the band of his briefs. He lifted them slightly to run his hand beneath the band on the way back.

Cas let out a small sound that let Dean know he liked that too. Dean was already fully aware that he did by the hardness Cas was sporting, matching his own. Dean reached his hand down under the band to grip Cas, and Cas let out a moan as he tilted his head back. Cas reached his own hands down to remove his under ware, they were really just getting in the way. He kicked them off while Dean stroked him. He was moving maddeningly slowly, and Cas couldn't help but thrust himself forward in Deans hand.

Cas rolled himself over to face Dean and pulled down his boxers. Once they were off he scooted himself in closer so they were pressed together, Deans hand wrapped around the two of them stroking them together. Dean reached over to grab Cas's lube and poured some on his hand before he started back in on both of them. They were moving slowly and just enjoying the feeling of being so close together. Deans movements got firmer and faster as he listened to Cas moan and thrust himself against Dean.

Cas reached his hand around Deans head and started kissing him slowly and deeply, matching Deans motions with their mouths. Dean did something with his hand, like a firm twist/roll and Cas gasped and bit at Deans lower lip.

"Oh my god Dean." He moaned.

"You like that?" Dean asked and did it again.

"Yeah. Oh, yeah I do." Cas said through staggered breaths.

Cas grabbed Dean's ass and pulled him in closer as Dean picked up his pace. He was done playing now, he needed to get off and could feel Cas was right there with him. Cas tightened his grip on the side of Deans neck and pulled at the back of his hair.

"Fuck, Dean, I'm" Cas moaned, and let himself go.

Hearing and feeling Cas lose himself did it for Dean and he got off too, the payment for their efforts dripping down over Deans hand and covering their stomachs.

Dean let go slowly and kissed Cas.

"You, thank you." Cas sighed.

"Thank you." Dean smiled and kissed him again.

"I'll clean up. Don't move." Cas ordered, and Dean was happy to oblige.

Once they were clean, Cas crawled back into bed and laid his head down on Deans shoulder, draping and arm over his stomach and curling his leg so it fell between Deans.

Dean loved the closeness. It had been a long time since he let anyone cuddle him, and it definitely hadn't felt the way it did with Cas. Maybe Dean was turning into a huge suck, but he didn't care. Cas was worth it, and he made Dean feel whole. He pet Cas's hair as he fell asleep against Dean. Once he knew Cas was fully asleep, he kissed his head and whispered.

"I love you so much Cas." Before he let himself drift off to sleep as well.


	34. Chapter 34

Dean woke up to an empty bed. When he rolled over to check the time on his phone, every muscle in his body ached with the effort. That hike yesterday really kicked his ass.

There was a bottle of Tylenol, a bottle of water, and a small folded note on the bedside table.

"Ugh, Cas, you're the best." Dean mumbled as he reached out to grab the bottle of pills. He took two and washed them down with the water before reaching out to grab the note. He laid himself back and smiled at Cas's handwriting.

"Dean,  
You are probably cursing my name this morning. I left you some Tylenol and water to help with the sore muscles. You almost certainly already saw that, so I didn't have to write it. Well, it's written now, and I'm using a pen, so it's too late to go back."

Dean rolled his eyes and laughed.

"I'm taking the bus in to work this morning. I don't feel like waking up Gabe for my keys. I can't lock the door behind me, but I don't think anyone is going to kidnap you. They had better not anyways, I would be devastated. Can you please feed Meg? I don't know when exactly I will be home tonight but I will text or call you later.  
I hope you have a good day. Please try not to kill my brother, despite his antics I have actually grown quite fond of him over the years. Unless you have to kill him, I will understand.

I love you.

Cas."

Dean read through the note a good four times before he just laid back in Cas's bed smiling. He stretched out and yeah, his muscles were still sore. Every single one of them. The pills were starting to work their magic though, so he got up out of bed and dressed himself slowly.

Dean walked out into the living room, and Meg started flapping her wings excitedly and bouncing around her cage.

"Good morning to you too Cockaroo." Dean laughed as she continued her little morning dance. He went over to release her from her cage. Instead of crawling up his arm like she normally did, she jumped off of his hand and glided down to the floor. She walked around the living room like she owned the place.

Dean just shrugged and let her be on her way. He went into the kitchen to put on some coffee, he really needed some. He zoned out watching the coffee drip into the carafe, when he was pulled back to reality by Meg squawking.

"What's your issue?" Dean asked from the kitchen. Meg just squawked again louder.

Dean walked around the counter so he could see what she was doing. She was on the floor in front of the TV looking up at it. She turned to Dean, and back to the TV, and let out another squawk.

"Umm, ok. What?" Dean asked.

Meg flapped her wings in frustration.

"Do you want to watch the movie again?" Dean asked, unsure of how exactly he expected her to answer. She was a bird after all, but she always managed to surprise him.

Meg hopped around animatedly, so Dean figured he nailed it. He walked over to grab the remote and turn on the TV. Pulp Fiction was still in the DVD player, so he pushed play and went back into the kitchen to grab Meg's food. He put it on the coffee table, and Meg jumped up to dig in. She nudged it over so she was able to face the TV while she ate.

"You're weird." Dean laughed as he watched her.

"I am not. You're weird." Gabe said as he walked through the front door.

"Morning Gabe. Coffees on." Dean said as he walked back into the kitchen. Meg was apparently in her happy place watching gratuitous violence and eating, so she didn't even acknowledge Gabe's entrance.

"Gracias Senor" Gabe said as he reached into the cupboard to grab himself a mug. He poured his coffee and added more cream and sugar than Dean thought could possibly taste good.

"What? I have a sweet tooth." Gabe said as he took a sip.

"Looks gross." Dean said as he poured himself a cup without adding anything to it.

"That's gross." Gabe said with an eye roll. "Does Cas know you let her eat there?" He pointed to Meg on the coffee table. "Also, is she watching Pulp Fiction?"

"Fuck!" Meg said loudly, repeating her movie. Gabe started laughing at the profanity.

"Uh, yeah, he knows. And she really likes it, so I put it on for her." Dean shrugged.

"You're a bad influence." Gabe laughed, and slowly started to walk into the living room. Meg wasn't freaking out, so he thought they were making some progress.

"Is that a good idea?" Dean asked as he watched Gabe creeping his way into the living room.

"I don't know yet, let's find out together shall we?"

When he got closer to the couch, Meg looked over at him and Gabe froze. She looked him up and down, and turned back to her movie. Gabe continued his slow creep to the couch and ever so softly sat himself down.

"It's going well." Gabe whispered loudly back to Dean.

Dean just rolled his eyes and wondered why Gabe even bothered with the fake whisper.

Meg would get excited when things got especially violent, which made Gabe laugh. Dean went to join the two of them in the living room, sitting himself down on the opposite end of the couch. They sat and watched the movie as a group for a while before Deans phone started ringing in his pocket. He stood up to take it out and saw it was Cas calling. His heart gave a little flutter and he went into Cas's bedroom to take the call.

"Good morning Handsome." Dean said as he answered.

"Good morning Dean."

"What are you up to?" Dean asked.

"Working."

"Sounds more like you're sneaking away to make phone calls. Unless you're calling to ask me some bird question, in which case I really wasn't your best choice."

"No" Cas laughed. "There isn't a lot going on over here. I just missed you."

Dean's heart melted a little bit as he pressed his phone closer to his ear.

"How are you feeling?" Cas asked.

"Like I got hit by a train." Dean laughed, "But better, thanks for leaving me the drugs."

"You're welcome. What are you doing?"

"Gabe's here having coffee. He's out watching the movie with Meg."

"Pulp Fiction? Dean, she's never going to stop swearing." Cas sighed.

"I don't mind." Dean laughed.

"You're a brat. Meg isn't clawing Gabe's eyes out?"

"No, I think they've found a common interest."

"Hmm." Cas hummed. "Pygoscelis adeliae are relatively well-defined and host a breeding population that is, by virtue of natal philopatry, a separate breeding population from colonies at adjacent sites."

"Umm, that's nice." Dean said slowly.

"Sorry." Cas laughed quietly. "One of the big bosses just walked by. He's kind of a dummy and wont realize I was talking about penguins. He's easy to confuse."

"Bad Cas." Dean said as he smiled at what a huge nerd Cas was.

"I should probably do some work. I'll be out of here between three and four."

"Sounds good." Dean sighed. Actually that sounded like forever from now. "I'm gonna go see what kind of trouble Gabe and I can get into today."

Dean was pretty sure he could actually hear Cas rolling his eyes.

"Have fun. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, you too."

The line was quiet, neither of them were hanging up.

"Are you going to hang up?" Dean laughed.

"I don't want to." Cas sighed.

"Well you have to. There's probably a pigeon out there that needs you or something, I don't know."

"Ugh, ok, I'll go check on all the pigeons." Cas laughed softly. "There are about four hundred million of them, so it may take a while. I could be home late if I need to check up on all of them."

"Ok, screw the pigeons then. Just do whatever dorky things you do and come home."

"They aren't dorky." Cas mumbled.

"You're stalling."

"I am. Ok. Good bye Dean."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Cas said and ended the call.

Dean sighed as he put his phone away. What the hell were him and Gabe going to get up to? He guessed he wasn't going to know unless he asked. He walked back out into the living room to Gabe and Meg having an epic stare down.

"Should I be worried?" Dean asked.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure we are doing some kind of mind meld." Gabe said without breaking eye contact with Meg.

"Oookaay. Well, do you wanna do something today?" Dean asked while he watched Gabe watch the bird, watching him.

Gabe broke eye contact with Meg and turned to Dean, his face lighting up.

"You wanna hang out with me?! Cas is going to allow this?" Gabe asked.

"Yeah, he even asked me not to kill you." Dean said.

"Awwwwww he does love me. I knew it!"

"He also said he would understand if I did." Dean added.

"Better than nothing!" Gabe said as he slapped his hands on his knees, making Meg jump back. "Oops, sorry bird."

Meg stalked away across the table and jumped down to the floor. She walked up to Dean and waited. Dean thought if she had hands, and hips, they would be on them right now.

Dean reached down to pick up the sassy little bird and put her back in her cage. She seemed happy enough in there so Dean closed the door and sat back down on the couch next to Gabriel.

"So what should we get up to today? Hookers and blow?" Gabe asked.

"Good thought, but I was thinking maybe I could do some work on Cas's car." Dean put out.

"Ugghh." Gabe said throwing himself back against the couch.

"What is it with you guys and cars?" Dean shook his head. "We could go grocery shopping and replace all of Cas's food?" Dean tried.

"Cars and grocery shopping? Dean, are you the mom or the dad?" Gabe asked.

Dean rolled his eyes. He knew Gabe was just being a snarky little ass hole and didn't mean anything by it.

"Gabe, why are you stupid?" Dean asked, rubbing at his eyes.

"I was born this way baby." Gabe said with a wink. "Is there anything fun we can do that doesn't involve being nice to my dorky little brother? I have years of harassing him built up, if I do something nice he may have a heart attack. Is that what you want Dean? To give Cas a heart attack?"

"No, obviously not. Ok. Well, what do you wanna do, other than hookers and blow?"

"Hmm, that narrows it down quite a bit." Gabe said, dramatically rubbing his chin. "We could go shopping, and pick me up some stuff I need for Cali? I'm leaving next week. Gonna make a quick stop back in Detroit to grab my stuff, and off I go. Sunshine and hot babes all day, every day."

"Shopping? Are you secretly Cas's sister? Besides, what could we possibly get here that you couldn't just get when you're there? They won't let you take a five gallon tub of sunscreen on the plane."

Gabe stuck his tongue out at Dean.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Next time you see me I'm gonna be tanned and sexy, if I can get any sexier that is. I set the bar pretty high already." Gabe said while he flexed his arms.

"Ugh, don't flex. That may be grounds to kill you." Dean said looking Gabe over.

Gabe started laughing. He enjoyed that he was able to bicker and banter with Dean.

"You really are perfect for Cas. Ok, you win, let's go do something nice for the Dumbo."

"I just wanna stop home and change, then we can head out." Dean said as he stood up, taking their used mugs and placing them in the sink.

"I can stay here and come down in a bit." Gabe said, trying to be sly about it and failing.

"No, I don't think so. I enjoyed tangy Cas, but I don't think he was as into it." Dean laughed and waited for Gabe to join him.

"I'm not sure if that makes me happy or grossed out." Gabe sighed, but he didn't stand up to leave. Whatever he had planned it must be a doozy if he was trying this hard to be left alone in Cas's place.

"I could tell you more about it while I'm waiting for your ass to hurry up." Dean offered.

That did the trick, Gabe was up and opening the front door for them.

"No thank you!" Gabe said as he left the apartment.

Dean laughed and grabbed his keys off the table. He locked the door behind them and they headed downstairs.


	35. Chapter 35

Dean ran into his place and put on a pair of old jeans and a black t shirt. After a quick splash of water on his face and running his fingers through his hair he decided that was good enough. He considered shaving, but he actually kind of liked the day's growth, so he left it. If Cas complained he would shave.

"Ok Gabe, I'm ready. Let's lock and load." Dean called out to his spare bedroom.

Gabe came out dressed in shorts and an over the top Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned over a white T shirt.

"You look ridiculous." Dean said flatly.

"What?" Gabriel asked, holding out his arms and looking down at himself.

"It's fine. Let's go." Dean said as he walked towards the door. He was going to make sure Gabe helped with the car and stained that train wreck of a shirt.

They got into the parking lot and Dean looked down at his keys.

"I guess we'll take the pimp mobile." Dean sighed as he looked at Cas's car. "Why does he even drive that thing?" Dean was genuinely curious if Gabe knew.

"I dunno, old screechy has been around forever. I don't think he knows it's ugly. Or maybe he doesn't care. It's hard to say with him." Gabe said.

Dean looked over Gabe's outfit again.

"It must run in the family." Dean said as he picked at Gabe's shirt. He walked around to open the driver's side door of the car before Gabe could talk back.

Dean reached over to unlock the passenger door and Gabe flopped himself into the car.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"My Uncle Bobby's. We can do the work in the yard there." Dean said as he started up the car.

"Ooooh do I get to meet Uncle Bobby?" Gabe asked.

"Yeah. Sure. You can have fun with that." Dean laughed as the smile was quickly wiped from Gabe's face.

Dean endured the ride to the salvage yard with Gabe complaining the entire time. Apparently nobody bothered to teach either him or Cas about cars and they had no desire to learn.

"Ok, we're here." Dean said as he got out of the car.

"Alright hot shot, now what?" Gabe asked as he stepped out as well and looked around the yard.

"Now we do an oil change, replace a drive belt, fuel filter, and air filter. Top up some fluids and clean up the battery." Dean said as he popped the hood.

"Oh is that all?" Gabe said with an eye roll and he leaned up against the car.

"It's not hard you big baby." Dean said and started walking towards the garage. Gabe quickly fell into step behind him.

"Sooo, you work here?" Gabe asked.

"Yep."

"It's, uh, dirty." Gabe said looking down at his shoes.

"Yep."

Next thing Gabe knew he was carrying a bunch of whosits and whatsits back to the car with Dean. As Gabe looked at the strange assortment of tools he was carrying he wondered why he hadn't fought harder for his shopping trip instead.

Dean walked over to the fridge in the families little side project garage where they were parked and grabbed two beers. He held one out to Gabe.

"Little early isn't it?" He said, but didn't decline the drink.

"It's after noon." Dean shrugged and popped the top off his own drink. "Now c'mon, I'll show you what we're doing."

Gabe went to listen and watch Dean work on the car. He even helped a little bit, if you want to call it that. If Dean was grading him he would have given Gabe a solid B for effort, which was more than he expected.

As they were under the hood and Dean was just finishing up telling Gabe how to put in the air filter, they heard small quick steps.

"I was starting to think you were never going to bring him back here!" Karen said excitedly as she walked around to the front of the car.

Dean laughed and looked at Gabe before he stood up to see his aunt.

"Sorry Karen, Cas is working. This is his brother Gabriel."

"Pleased to meet you." Gabe said with a big cheesy smile. "I would shake your hand, but I have car blood all over them." Gabe looked down at his hands disapprovingly.

"Oh dear, and your shirt." Karen said as she walked towards Gabe, getting a closer look at the stain.

"Awe man." Gabe groaned. "This is my coolest shirt."

"Well, lucky for you I'm the wife of a mechanic. Give me your shirt and I'll get that out for you in a jiffy." Karen said holding out her hand.

Gabe shrugged off his shirt the best he could without touching it with his hands. Karen smiled at his efforts and walked around to help him.

Dean was grumbling on the inside that his plan to ruin Gabes "coolest shirt" were foiled.

"I'll finish this up." Dean said tipping his nearly empty beer bottle towards the car. "You go get properly interrogated by my Aunt Karen and I'll be in in a sec."

Karen swatted Dean on the arm. "I'm not that bad." She laughed. "Let's go dear." She said to Gabe and started walking back around to the house.

Dean watched the two of them leave and went back to work. He was pretty well done here, but he would give Karen twenty minutes to meet Gabe on her own anyways. Karen was one of the two most important women in his life after all, and Gabe was going to be in his life for a long time if Dean had his way. It was impossible to be in Dean's life and not know his little family.

He shut the hood of the car and sat back on it. Dean Winchester, newly discovered mega sap, was smiling to himself and wondering how any of this had even happened. He was purposefully bringing Cas's family into his own, and it was exciting to him. For a guy who never brought anyone home for Christmas, this was a huge step.

"Thought you were taking the day off?" Bobby said, snapping Dean out from his thoughts.

"I am. Just wanted to do a couple things on this monstrosity." He said patting the car hood beside him.

Bobby grunted his understanding. He looked over to the empty beer bottle on the small table and the one in Dean's hand. "Starting early or is Cas here with ya?" Bobby asked.

"No, I brought his brother Gabriel. Cas is working." Dean said, and before he could stop himself he sighed.

Bobby looked Dean over with a look that mixed humor and disbelief.

"You've got it bad son."

"I do." Dean laughed, a big dopey smile spreading across his face.

"Well, that's good. I had it the same when I met your Aunt Karen. I think I fixed everything she owned twice before she agreed to a date." Bobby chuckled.

"It worked out for you."

"You bet your ass it did. When are you bringing that boy back around?"

"Soon. I think Karen misses him."

"Yep." Bobby agreed.

"You need a hand in the shop?" Dean asked.

"We got it covered, take your day off." Bobby grunted as he stood to head back to work.

"Alright. See ya in the morning." Dean said and went to find Karen and Gabriel.

Gabe followed Karen into the house and downstairs to the basement. Karen opened a door and they were in a big, well stocked laundry room. Karen took Gabe's shirt over to a table and grabbed some paper towel, some baby powder, and some dish soap.

"Come here and watch." Karen said to Gabe who was still standing over by the door.

Gabe walked over to where Karen was working away at the stain on his shirt. He wasn't exactly sure how he was supposed to behave. Dean didn't give him a whole lot of warning about his aunt and uncle, and he didn't want to embarrass Cas, at least not like this.

"Cat got your tongue?" Karen asked as she continued blotting the grease stain with a paper towel.

Gabe put on a shocked expression and grabbed at his mouth. He started nodding to Karen.

Karen chuckled. "Well that's too bad for you now isn't it?"

Gabe dropped his hands and smiled. "Ok, I was just kidding."

"You don't say?" Karen smiled as she started sprinkling the baby powder over the stain.

"That needs to sit for a little bit. I don't know if you have been informed, but I bake the best pie anywhere. Come now, we'll get you a slice. If we don't hurry Dean will get to it first and there won't be any left."

"I've eaten a lot of pie, we'll just have to see how it stacks up against the competition." Gabe said as he followed Karen back up the stairs.

"Oh child, you haven't really had pie, not yet anyways." Karen said with all the confidence in the world.

Soon they were in the dining room and Karen was placing a plate with a giant piece of cherry pie on it in front of Gabriel. She watched as he picked up his fork to take his first bite. Her hands were folded with her elbows on the table and her head resting on her hands.

Gabe loaded up his fork and put it his mouth. He closed his eyes and he did a full body roll.

"Well?" Karen laughed.

"I think I just had a pie awakening." Gabe said after he swallowed and went to take another bite.

"Told you so." Karen said playfully.

Gabe definitely liked Karen. Well, he liked anyone who fed him sweets as a general rule, but Karen was the kind of woman who radiated motherly love.

"Tell me about yourself." Karen said as Gabe continued eating.

"Uh, well, I'm Castiel's brother." Gabe said.

"Older?"

"Yeah, it's just the two of us." Gabe nodded.

"How is your father doing? Dean said he would keep me informed but that boy is off in his own little world lately." Karen shook her head, but was wearing a wide smile.

"Dads doing better. He's home now." Gabe told her, unsure of what else to say.

"You seem nervous?" Karen asked him.

"I, yeah, a little. I guess I just don't want to embarrass Cas." Gabe admitted. Why was he admitting this? He couldn't explain why but he felt a bit like a little kid.

"It's your duty to embarrass your little brother." Karen laughed. "At least if Sam and Dean are anything to go by. Growing up those boys could be terrors."

"Don't worry, I still drive Cas crazy every chance I get." Gabe laughed.

"Good. I really like your brother, I wish Dean would bring him back around."

"He's alright I guess. For a huge dork." Gabe rolled his eyes and took another bite of pie.

"Tell me about your mother." Karen suddenly asked.

Gabe nearly choked on his bite.

"Wah? Why?" Gabe asked.

"When Dean was here he said she didn't like him, and that just doesn't sound right to me. My boys are two of the most enjoyable people to be around in the entire world. It's been bothering me ever since."

"Mom has that effect on people. She's coming around though. She's … stubborn. And rude. She can be an absolute nightmare, but we love her." Gabe said carefully.

Karen hummed as she listened.

"Thank you Gabriel. I don't mean to be rude about your mother. When it comes to Dean I can't help but worry." She said as she smiled at Gabe. "Now finish up those last few bites and we can go get that stain out."

"I'm on it!" Gabe said as he shoveled the rest of the pie into his mouth.

Dean entered the house and didn't see his aunt or Gabe anywhere.

"Hello?" He called out.

When nobody replied he just shrugged and made his way to the kitchen. He knew where the pie was. He picked up the tin that had a quarter of a cherry pie left in it and didn't bother with a plate. He grabbed a fork and started mowing down while he leaned against the kitchen counter.

Karen and Gabe walked into the kitchen and Dean froze.

"Dean." Karen sighed and gave him a stern look. "You know where the plates are." She said putting a hand on her hip.

"I, uh, forgot?" Dean said through a mouthful of pie.

Karen just gave him 'the look' and turned to Gabe.

"I'll hang that to dry and send it home with Dean tomorrow." She told him.

"Thanks. Dean hates that shirt so much it would have been a shame not to be able to wear it every time we go out. Forever." Gabe said shooting Dean a look and wearing a devilish grin.

Dean groaned. "I'll try my best not to lose it on the way home."

"You better." Karen said and pointed a finger at Dean.

Gabe was smiling at Dean behind Karen just like Sam used to when he got Dean into trouble.

"We need to get to the grocery store. Cas is going to be home in a couple of hours." Dean said as he set down his pie tin.

"Uuugh. Cas this, Cas that. I think you're in love with him." Gabe said, adding incredibly flamboyant hand gestures as he spoke.

"Shut up." Dean laughed. "Thank you Karen." He said as he leaned down and placed a kiss on the side of her head.

They left the house and walked back to the car. Once they were both settled in Dean started pulling out of the salvage yard and turned to Gabe.

"How was that?" He asked.

"I think your aunt is an angel. A pie baking, stain removing, angel from heaven."

"That sums her up nicely actually." Dean agreed.

"You're lucky." Gabe said as he looked out the window and back at the yard as it got smaller in the distance.

"I know." Dean smiled. "Let's go get some food."


	36. Chapter 36

"Why did I think this was a good idea?" Dean mumbled to himself as he pushed their cart through the aisles of the supermarket. Gabe was grabbing every candy coated, sugar laden item the cart could carry.

"There is no way you are going to be able to eat all of that." Dean said as Gabe threw another box of cookies into the cart. "And there's no way I'm paying for them."

"I ate all the food, I'll pay." Gabe said and added some twizzlers to his growing collection of snacks.

That made Dean relax a little bit. He could just focus on replenishing the food Cas actually ate, while his brother worked on ensuring that his teeth rotted out of his head.

"I should get these for Cas." Gabe laughed and picked up some peeps.

"I don't think he would like those at all." Dean said looking over the creepy marshmallows.

"But their birds. Get it, he likes birds. Tough crowd." Gabe muttered as he put the peeps back on the shelf.

Dean finally managed to get them out of the junk aisle and into the produce section. Dean had been in Cas's fridge and cupboards enough times now to know what items were usually in there. He grabbed a bag of grapes, some carrots, and a whole whack of lettuce. His man didn't get the kind of body he had by eating peeps, that was for sure.

"Ok, where's the deli counter?" Dean asked. Cas liked sandwiches, so deli meat was on the list Dean was checking off in his mind.

"Uhhh, over here I think." Gabe said and started walking in the direction he thought they should go.

Turns out it was actually at the exact opposite end of the store.

"Good guess Gabe." Dean said with an eye roll. He ordered a bunch of weird, but delicious sounding meats from the little old lady working in the deli. She could barely see over the counter to take his orders, and was incredibly slow getting everything together. She was kind though, so Dean was happy to wait. Gabe on the other hand, was getting antsy.

"I'll go get coffee cream and milk. I'm so over being at the grocery store, we already got all the important stuff." Gabe said as he walked away.

Dean watched him leave and looked down at the mostly full cart of junk food. Important stuff, right. Dean was tempted to put some of it back on the shelves and save Gabe from the diabetes he was inevitably going to give himself, but decided not to. Instead he spent his time at the counter wondering how on earth Gabe didn't weigh substantially more than he did.

"Are you still here?" Gabe asked as he put a two litre carton of chocolate milk into the cart along with a sugary specialty coffee creamer.

Dean accepted the last of his deli meats from the little old lady behind the counter and thanked her.

"Yeah, that was the last of it. You forgot the normal milk and cream." Dean sighed.

"Cas likes chocolate milk." Gabe countered and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'll go grab it. You take this and wait in line." Dean said and pushed the cart towards Gabe.

"We're leaving?!" Gabe perked up. "Ai yi captain! I shall await your arrival at checkout."

Gabe squared his shoulders and confidently pushed the cart towards the front of the store.

Dean went to the dairy section and grabbed some plain milk and creamer. He grabbed some cheese as well, since he wasn't sure if there was any left in the house. As he carried his armful towards the checkout to meet Gabe, he walked passed a cooler full of flowers.

Dean stopped and looked the cooler over. Would Cas like flowers? Was that something couples like them did? What if Cas thought it was the lamest thing ever and threw them in the garbage before he dumped Dean and tossed him out of his apartment?

Dean shook his head. That may have been the dumbest thought he ever had. Dean wasn't exactly the 'romantic' type, but Cas kind of made him wish he could be. Cas deserved flowers. He deserved everything. Dean walked over to inspect the flowers more closely.

He looked at all the different bouquets, but was drawn over to the selection that were already placed in vases. He didn't know if Cas had any, so if he was going to pick some up it would be better if they came with one. Right? Dean was definitely over thinking this. He was going through his mental Cas checklist.

Cas liked it outside, so he probably liked flowers. What was his favorite color? Dean kind of thought it would be blue, but that was most likely because his eyes were blue. It had quickly become Deans favorite color after meeting Cas anyways. Maybe green? He likes … trees. Dean ran his free hand through his hair and tried to remember if Cas had ever mentioned it to him.

Finally, Dean opened the cooler and grabbed a vase the had a whole bunch of different colored flowers in it. He had no idea what kinds they were, but they were pretty.

Dean took his dairy products and flowers to the checkout before he could psych himself out and put them back.

"There you are, yeash, hurry up." Gabe said as he was unloading the last of the cart onto the checkouts belt.

"Sorry, I, uh, got distracted." Dean said as he placed the milk and cheese with everything else.

"I am not getting those." Gabe said as he eyed the flowers. "I've been way to nice to Cas today already. I draw the line at buying my brother flowers."

Dean laughed. "No, these are from me. Do you think he'll like them?" Dean asked nervously.

Gabe rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Uuuugh. Stupid Cas and his stupid boyfriend." Gabe muttered.

"That's not helpful, jerk." Dean said as he looked over his flowers.

"Like its not bad enough knowing you're boning my brother, now I'm helping you woo him. He's already thoroughly wooed Dean."

"I, uh." Dean blushed. He was kind of the bottom in this relationship, not that Gabe needed to know that.

"Ewwww." Gabe moaned. "Ok, so Cas is doing the boning then. Gross."

"Gabe, just, shut up." Dean said as his face darkened a few shades.

"Ok, yeah, sorry, I guess. Yeah, he'll love them, and probably turn into a goopy mess on the floor when he see's them. Happy?" Gabe said as he pulled his bank card out of his wallet to pay for their food.

"No." Dean muttered. He was actually kind of happy to have confirmation that Cas wasn't going to think Dean was weird, but he could have done without every other aspect of the conversation that just took place.

They took their haul out to Cas's car and filled the trunk up.

"Do you think we over did it?" Dean asked looking at the ridiculous amount of food there.

"Nope. Finally, Cas is going to have some food for me in his place." Gabe said as he rubbed his hands together hungrily.

Dean was about to question Gabe's definition of 'food' but thought better of it and closed the trunk instead. He walked over to the driver's side door with his flowers.

"Nuh uh big boy. Hand those over here."

Dean looked down at the keys in one hand and the flowers in the other. Which was Gabe talking about?

"The keys." Gabe said as he took in Deans confusion.

"What? No. I'm the driver." Dean said.

"Well I'm not the flower holder, so sorry about your luck." Gabe said as he held his hand out for the keys.

Dean sighed and surrendered the keys to Gabe. As he got into the passengers side he carefully balanced the vase full of flowers on his lap and looked them over.

Gabe started driving them home in near silence. Only the sound of some top forty music station was playing quietly through the cars speakers.

"Are you sure he's going to like them?" Dean asked again. He didn't know why he was so worried about this. He could have just walked passed the cooler full of flowers and saved himself all this unnecessary worrying. But then, Cas wouldn't get flowers. That thought bothered Dean too. Why was his brain battling him over this?

"Don't buy people flowers very often hey?" Gabe asked as he briefly looked over at Dean.

"No. Not just cuz anyway. Sometimes I take flowers to my parent's graves, but I don't have to worry if they like them or not." Dean said.

"Whoa, bummer." Gabe said heavily. "You don't have to worry now either Bucko. Cas is going to love them. Quit worrying about it."

Dean just sat looking seriously at his flowers.

Gabe sighed.

"Ok, here's the deal. Bleach your brain after I say this. Word can't be getting out that I'm giving relationship advice, it'll destroy my image." Gabe said and gave Dean a raised eyebrow while he awaited confirmation that the brain bleaching was a go.

Dean looked over at Gabe and nodded.

"Quit worrying about the flowers. Like I've told you umpteen times now, he's going to love them. Everybody likes getting flowers. Hell, I had a girl I was kind of serious with send me flowers once and it was awesome."

Gabe stopped at a red light and turned to face Dean while they waited for it to change.

"Repeat this and I will murder you." He said as he pointed a finger at Dean.

Dean just laughed and waited for Gabe to continue.

"Cas is the best, he should have a man who buys him flowers. Now, he does. It makes me happy to see my little bro so happy. I know I give him a hard time, but he's the most important person in the world to me. So, just, take care of him."

Gabe turned back to the road as the light changed back to green. Dean just smiled and put his head back against the head rest.

"I will. Thanks Gabe." Dean sighed.

"Now get with the bleaching." Gabe said as he turned left to get to the apartments.

"Brain bleaching commencing." Dean said and closed his eyes for effect.

They arrived back at the apartments and took as much as they could carry upstairs. It took them two trips, since Dean didn't want to carry anything in the arm that had the flowers. What if he dropped them and it was all for nothing?

By the time they got everything upstairs and starting putting everything away it was already quarter after three. Cas should be home soon. As though the thought made it happen, Deans phone started ringing in his pocket. Dean pulled it out and saw that it was Cas, he knew it would be.

"Hello." Dean said as he answered the call.

"Hello Dean." Cas answered.

After a moments silence, Cas started up again.

"I'm on the bus, I got out a little bit earlier than I expected. I should be home soon."

"Awesome." Dean said dreamily.

"It is." Cas laughed. "I need to go grocery shopping, so I might have to run out again right away when I get back."

"We already went. We just got back actually." Dean told him.

"You guys went grocery shopping for me?" Cas asked. The amazement couldn't be more clear in his voice.

"Yeah, we had a day to fill while you were off playing with birds." Dean said through a smile.

"I don't play with birds." Cas said, and Dean could hear the eye roll.

"No?" Dean asked.

"Ok, sometimes I play with birds." Cas admitted.

"I knew it."

"You got Gabe to go to the grocery store? Dean, are you magic?" Cas asked over the rising noise on the bus. They must be at a stop.

"No, I'm not. Just very convincing. Are you magic? I think I heard somewhere that elves are magic." Dean teased

"Oh blech." Gabe said from the living room.

"Shut up." Dean called out to Gabe before returning to his phone call.

"You didn't let Gabe pick anything did you? He doesn't really eat 'food' per say."

"Ugh, yeah, you're telling me. We got grown up food too. But, your cupboards are also stocked up with the tooth fairies dream haul." Dean sighed.

The bus started getting louder. It was after three, there must be students heading home from school.

"Why are teenagers so loud?" Cas asked. "I should go. I'll be home soon."

"Alright, We're at your place. See you soon."

"I love you." Cas said, and Dean was pretty sure he heard a woman groan in the background.

"I love you too" Dean said through his smile and ended the call.

Cas couldn't seem to go anywhere without women falling in love with him. Dean was once again glad Cas was gay and oblivious to his power over the women folk.

"Cas will be home soon." Dean filled Gabe in.

"Then that's my cue to leave." Gabe said as he stood up.

"Alright." Dean said as he watched Gabe pick up his bag of twizzlers from the coffee table.

"I'm not sticking around to watch Cas get all melty. You guys are probably gonna kiss and stuff." Gabe said with a shudder.

"Yeah, we're gonna smooch it up." Dean said to get a reaction out of Gabe.

It worked. Gabe wrinkled his nose at Dean and walked passed him to grab an armful of sweets from the cupboard. He stopped at the freezer to grab one of the many pints of ice cream he picked up and headed towards the door.

"I'll be at your place, eating away the pain that mental image just caused me." Gabe said as he opened the door.

"Don't wait up, we're probably gonna do it." Dean said as the door was closing behind Gabe. He could hear the groan through the mostly closed door, followed by a loud "I hate you Winchester."

The door closed the rest of the way on its own.

"No you don't." Dean said to himself.

Cas was going to be home soon. Dean kept himself busy by making the bed and tidying the few things there actually were to tidy. Once that was done, he sat on the couch and watched Meg do her weird little bird things until the front door started opening.

Dean shot up from the couch and looked over at the flowers he had sitting on the table. His heart began racing, and he reminded himself to calm down.

"Hello?" Cas called out as he came inside. His head was down as he removed his bag from his shoulder and slung it on the nearest chair. He looked up and saw the flowers sitting on the table, and his eyes widened.

"Hello." Dean said back as he walked over to Cas.

"Dean, what's, what are those?" Cas asked curiously as his eyes were drawn back to the flowers on the table.

"Flowers. I figured you would know that, you know, being outside so much."

Cas smiled and looked at Dean.

"For me?" He asked.

Dean reached out to grab Cas's hand and pulled him in close.

"Yeah, they're for you. Do you like them?" Dean asked.

Cas looked back over to the flowers before turning his gaze up to Deans.

"I love them." He said quietly.

"Good." Dean said and physically relaxed. "I had this horrible idea that you would hate them and break up with me." Dean said.

"You're an idiot." Cas said before laying a long, sweet kiss on Deans lips.

When their lips parted Dean rested his fore head against Cas's.

"I know." He laughed softly.

"Where's Gabriel?" Cas asked as he looked passed Dean into the living room.

"My place, something about eating his pain. I don't know." Dean told him.

"Drama queen." Cas said with an eye roll. "You're dirty." Cas added as he looked Dean over.

"Oh yeah, I did some work on your car today. I should have changed." Dean said looking down at himself as well.

Cas looked dreamily into Deans eyes.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" He questioned Dean.

"I'm always nice to you." Dean said pulling Cas in tighter.

"You're being extra nice." Cas said.

"I missed you." Dean said a little sheepishly. "Gabe helped a little with the car."

"Oh no."

"I watched" Dean laughed. "He didn't do anything to it. I almost managed to ruin that stupid Hawaiian shirt of his, but Karen saved it."

"That's too bad, that shirt is an abomination." Cas said. He knew exactly the shirt Dean was referring too.

Cas turned his head as much as he could in Deans grasp and looked back at his flowers.

"I can run home and change into clean clothes." Dean offered as he released Cas.

"Or you could shower here, with me. I have some of your clothes somewhere. Sweat pants for sure. Oh, I stole your sweat pants by the way." Cas informed him.

Dean laughed.

"That sounds perfect." Dean said as he walked over to Cas's room.

Cas stood in the dining room looking at his flowers a little bit longer.

"You coming?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Cas smiled and went to join Dean.


	37. Chapter 37

Dean dried himself off and put on his sweat pants. Cas had already redressed himself in comfortable clothes and was out in the kitchen figuring out what they should make for dinner.

Dean left the bedroom to join him and saw Cas standing in the kitchen looking up into an open cupboard.

"Looks like we will be having cocoa puffs, with chocolate milk, and a side of sour worms." Cas said.

"Mmm, sounds like a stomach ache." Dean said as he walked up behind Cas to help him look through the groceries.

"Yes, it does." Cas said as he placed his hands on his hips.

"How about I cook?" Dean asked.

Cas whirled around to look at Dean without realizing how close he was behind him.

"Oh, hello." Cas said, their faces so close their noses were almost touching.

"I told you I could walk quietly." Dean laughed.

"Sure, but can you cook? I would prefer not to get food poisoning."

"I made the bird food didn't I?"

"I thought Karen helped? And we aren't birds."

Meg squawked from her cage in the living room.

"Ok, you're a bird." Cas corrected himself.

"Well, I did manage to keep Sam and I alive. It was mostly thanks to kraft dinner, but whatever works right?"

"That isn't inspiring Dean."

"Ok fine, you cook. I'll just stand around and flex or something."

"I was going to suggest you tell me about your day, but I kind of like your idea better." Cas said as he reached up into the cupboard to grab a box of pasta.

Dean smiled and flexed at Cas, throwing a wink on at the end. Cas just laughed and continued gathering his cooking supplies.

Dean left the kitchen to give Cas space while he worked.

"My day was good. Listened to Gabe whine mostly. He met my Aunt Karen, she's dying to see you by the way."

"Really? She's very sweet. That reminds me." Cas said as he pulled his phone out from his pocket. He was busily poking at the screen in silence for a minute before he put on a satisfied grin and put his phone back.

"Jess is actually really good at scrabble." Cas said as an answer to Deans confused expression.

"Nerd." Dean mumbled as he bent down to release Meg from her cage.

"What was that?" Cas called into the living room.

"Uh, bird. I said bird." Dean lied.

"Liar." Cas muttered as he chopped up some onions and peppers.

Meg clawed her way up Deans arm to sit on his shoulder. He really wished he had put a shirt on as he looked down at the little bright pink scratch marks now running up his arm.

"How was your day?" Dean asked.

"Long, and kind of boring." Cas replied, still focused on his chopping. He had a sauce started on the stove that was already making Deans mouth water. "I don't have to go in to the office any more this week, so that's a bonus."

"So what? They just trust you to get work done at home?" Dean asked.

"Yes, I'm a professional Dean, not a kid skipping class." Cas said with an eye roll. "And I'll actually be going out and doing some scouting tomorrow, so I wont really be at home long."

"You're cute when you get all sassy." Dean said as him and Meg leaned over the higher counter to watch Cas cook.

Cas blushed slightly and smiled to himself.

"You're, you, shut up." Cas said as he went to the fridge to grab some chicken for their pasta.

"Shield your eyes Meg, you aren't going to want to see this." Dean said to the bird on his shoulder as Cas unwrapped the chicken.

Deans phone started ringing from the floor in Cas's bedroom where his pants were. Him and Meg retreated to the room to grab it.

"Just in time, you don't need to watch that horror show." Dean said to Meg as he bent down to fish out his phone. He looked at the screen and saw it was Karen calling.

"Speak of the Devil." Dean said as he looked at his phone and answered it.

"Heya Karen. What's up?"

"Hey kiddo. I was just wondering if you guys want to come here for dinner Friday night. If you won't bring that man over here willingly, I figure I'll just have to set it up myself." Karen sighed.

"One sec, I'll ask Cas." Dean said as he stuck his head out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

"Karen wants us to come for dinner Friday." He said.

"I think Friday is supposed to be Gabe's last day in town." Cas told him, "My parents will probably want to do dinner."

"Bring them." Karen said to Dean.

Dean froze. Bring them? As in Cas's family? Things were getting better with Dean and Gale, but he had a feeling that taking her to a salvage yard to meet his very protective practically mother could set them back a bit.

"Dean, tell him to bring them." Karen said when she didn't hear Dean continue speaking.

"Dean?" Cas asked from the kitchen.

Ok, he had to say or do something.

"She said we should bring them." Dean told Cas.

"Oh. Goodness." Cas said as he suddenly stopped seasoning the chicken. He realized quickly that he had frozen with the container still facing down and moved it, spreading seasoning along the counter.

Dean felt better that his reaction was apparently normal. Cas seemed to be taking the suggestion about as well as Dean had. Dean could see the wheels turning behind Cas's eyes.

"Is that a good idea?" Cas asked quietly, hoping Karen wouldn't hear him.

"Of course it's a good idea, I had it." Karen said into Deans ear.

"She thinks it is." Dean said out loud.

"I, ok. I'll ask them. Yes, I'll ask them. Can we get back to her about it?" Cas asked.

"Of course you can Dear." Karen said to Dean, though she was clearly speaking to Cas.

"She said yes." Dean relayed the message.

"Ok. Thank you Karen." Cas said a little more loudly.

"I'll see you in the morning." Karen said to Dean.

"See you in the morning." Dean said as they ended the call.

Dean stuck the phone in his pocket and looked at Cas, who was still frozen and lost in thought in the kitchen.

"Babe?" Dean asked. "You ok?"

"The chicken is going to be salty." Cas said as he looked down at his chopped up, over seasoned chicken.

"Oh yeah, I thought that must be what's bothering you." Dean said sarcastically.

Cas looked up at Dean now instead and raised an eyebrow.

"My mother..." Cas started.

"I know. She's been better though remember. Maybe it'll go really well."

"Or maybe all hell will break loose and we all die in the resulting fire storm." Cas said as he attempted to fix his salty chicken.

"Hell." Meg repeated.

"See, Meg agrees with me." Cas said stubbornly.

"Thanks Meg." Dean grumbled as he went to put her back in her cage.

"Well, what do you want to do? We could not invite them and say we did." Dean offered.

"And lie to Karen?!" Cas said, his shock and disbelief clear on his face.

"Ok, so not that then. What do you suggest?" Dean asked.

"We could pack up and move away tonight. Somewhere far away where they will never find us. They have lots of interesting birds in Australia. They have cars too, you know, for you." Cas said.

"Well, we're up two bad ideas." Dean said as he ran his hand over his face.

"Dinner will be ready in about 10-15 minutes." Cas said. "Lets pack it up and take it to your place. Gabe's there right? We can ask him what he thinks."

"We can do that." Dean said.

"Also, we can test the salty chicken on him." Cas added.

"There it is." Dean laughed as he went to put a shirt on.

When he came back out into the kitchen, Cas was leaning up against the counter, once again deep in his own thoughts. He barely noticed as Dean came around the counter, and didn't snap out of it until Dean was standing directly in front of him.

"Am I being ridiculous?" Cas sighed.

"No." Dean said as he reached out to grab Cas's hand.

Cas gave him a look that expressed that he appreciated the fib, but that he didn't believe Dean for a second.

"Maybe a little. I'm not exactly excited about it either. It could be like game of thrones, your mother the ice, my aunt the fire." Dean said.

"Finally, a reference I know." Cas laughed. "You do realize how many people die in those books right?"

"Books?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, its … never mind. You know how many people die on that show." Cas said. "Dinners especially never go well."

"And it probably wont go that badly. If we use that as a standard, basically everyone who leaves Friday night alive counts as a win."

"It PROBABLY wont go that badly." Cas repeated back to Dean.

"Yeah, probably." Dean laughed and laid a kiss on Cas. "Quit worrying so much. Let's go ask Gabe what he thinks. Maybe he will have some terrible ideas we can add to our own."

Cas turned away to start putting everything into Tupperware containers. Once it was all packed up and Dean was holding everything together, Cas looked him over.

"It probably would have been easier to invite him up." Cas laughed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Too late now. Let's roll." Dean said and moved towards the front door. He glanced down at the door knob and his full hands. "A little help?"

"Ok." Cas said as he reached out to open the door. "Gabe better have a good idea, or we are doing my Australia plan."

"Deal." Dean laughed, and they headed downstairs.


	38. Chapter 38

"Knock knock!" Dean called out as he pushed open the front door to his apartment. The lights were out, but the familiar glow of the TV lit up the room.

"Gabe?"

Gabe yelped and began frantically searching around himself on the couch for the remote.

"Are you watching The Notebook again?" Cas asked as he looked towards the TV.

"No! shut up butt head." Gabe said as he finally found the remote and shut off the TV, leaving all three of them in total darkness.

"Uhh, ok. Well, sorry to interrupt your … whatever this is." Dean said into the dark room.

Cas walked over to the light switch and turned on the dining room and kitchen lights. When they looked over to where Gabe was sitting Dean started laughing uncontrollably.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Dean sputtered out once he had fully taken in the site of Gabe wrapped up in the comforter from the spare bedroom. He had it wrapped around him like a cocoon, with the top flopping over his head. He had various candy and his pint of chocolate ice cream in front of him on the coffee table, and of course, a box of tissues.

"I was, just ..." Gabe started before he looked over to the two men annoyed.

"He was having a date night for one I think." Cas said, trying to help Gabe out.

"Yeah, date night for one. Is that food?" Gabe asked as he finally registered all the Tupperware Dean was holding.

"Yeah, Cas made pasta." Dean said as he put the containers down on the dining room table. "We have an emergency situation we need your help with."

"My help you say? And you brought pasta. I find your offering acceptable." Gabe said as he stood up and unwrapped himself from his blanket.

"If you could maybe put on some pants?" Dean said as Gabe came to stand next to him and investigate which pasta Cas had made that night.

"Oh, picky picky. Yeah fine." Gabe rolled his eyes and headed into the spare bedroom to retrieve his pants.

"The notebook?" Dean asked Cas with a smile.

"He loves it. This is probably the hundredth time he's seen it if I had to guess. The big baby still cries every time." Cas told him with a shake of his head.

"And how would you know that?" Dean asked.

"I've watched it with him probably thirty of those times." Cas admitted. When he looked over at Dean giving him a raised eyebrow, he added, "What? It's a nice movie."

"Whatever you say Cas." Dean laughed and headed into the kitchen to grab plates and cutlery.

"Ok, I'm dressed. Now what's this emergency?" Gabe asked as he rejoined the other two at the table. He took a plate from Dean and started loading it up.

When neither of them answered right away, Gabe let out a long low whistle.

"Must be pretty bad. C'mon guys spill it."

Dean finished putting his plate together and pulled out a chair. He sat down heavily and Gabe took the hint to sit down as well. Cas made his plate and moved all the leftovers to the kitchen counter so he could join them at the table.

Once all three were seated together Dean let out a sigh and looked at Gabe.

"You're leaving soon right?"

"Ouch, are you that sick of me already?" Gabe said, putting a hand over his heart.

"No … well." Dean paused. "No I'm not." Dean said and ran a hand over his face. "Just answer the question."

"Yeah, I plan on leaving early Saturday morning. I do have to get back to work and being awesome in general some time."

"So Friday is your last night here." Cas said.

"That would be correct. Why? You guys throwing me a party?" Gabe asked and perked up.

Dean barked out a laugh. "I guess you could say that. If you like really awkward, uncomfortable, potentially deadly parties."

"That's not the vibe I normally go for whence celebrating, but I'll try anything once." Gabe said as he shoveled some pasta into his mouth.

"Deans aunt Karen would like us to go for dinner on Friday." Cas said.

"That's nice of her." Gabe said through a mouth full of pasta. "Mom and Dad are probably gonna want to do dinner that night though don't you think?"

"I do think that yes. So, she, uh." Cas stammered.

"She wants us to bring them along." Dean finished for him.

Gabe's hand stopped halfway between his plate and his mouth. His pasta slowly flopped off his fork and back onto his plate as he looked between Dean and Cas, his face set somewhere between horror and awe.

"Your mom did say she wanted to meet them." Dean said when Gabe's silence became uncomfortable.

"You couldn't wait until the wedding?" Gabe choked out.

"We aren't engaged Gabe." Cas said.

"Well, not yet. Give it a few years. Mom just started not being a total ass to Dean like, yesterday. This sounds risky if you ask me. Which, I will remind you, you are."

The three men sat and ate in silence for a few minutes, all lost in their own thoughts.

"This is really good." Dean said as he looked at Cas.

"It's ok. Thank you." Cas said as he pushed his fork around his plate.

"Chickens a bit salty." Gabe said.

Cas rolled his eyes before agreeing with his brother. "I thought it was going to be a lot worse."

"So, any bright ideas coming to you?" Dean asked Gabe.

"Have you guys considered packing up and coming with me to California? I know a guy who could make you disappear, new names, the whole nine yards. All I need is few of your teeth."

Cas gave Dean a look that said "I told you so."

"Cas suggested Australia." Dean said.

"I think my licence will work in Australia." Gabe said as he pulled out his phone. "I can book our tickets now."

Cas nodded as he watched his brother poking at his phone.

"Guys, no, c'mon. We aren't running away." Dean said. He stopped for a moment and thought about him and Cas on the beach in Australia, soaking up the sun by the water. Cas would be all tanned and covered in oil … then maybe at sunset …

Dean shook his head and remembered where he was.

"No, we can't do that. We need a real plan."

"What did you tell Karen?" Gabe asked.

"We said we would ask them about it and get back to her." Cas told him.

"Whhhy would you do that?" Gabe groaned. "Now you either have to lie to that dear, sweet, angel of a woman, or actually ask them."

"Alright, this is good. You're understanding our problem." Dean said as he pushed his empty plate further in front of him.

"You have no choice." Gabe said solemnly as he finished off his own plate.

"Gaaaabe." Cas groaned.

"Don't Gaaaaaabe me. You're a terrible liar, so lying is off the table." Gabe said to his dismayed little brother.

"But you, my dear, sweet, wonderful brother, are an excellent liar." Cas tried.

"Flattery wont get you anywhere today kiddo."

"You know you would have to be there too right?" Dean said.

"Caaaaaaaaas" Gabe said, mimicking his brothers earlier whine.

"Don't Caaaaaaas me." Cas responded with humor in his voice. "This is all your fault."

"How? What? My fault? It's not."

"Yes it is. If you weren't leaving on Saturday this whole mess would have been avoided. So, your fault." Cas said and pushed his own plate away with a little more sass than was strictly necessary.

"Well what do you suggest I do about that?" Gabe asked Cas grumpily.

Dean perked up.

"Well, since you guys love the idea of moving so much, how about you never leave and just live here now? Its easier than all of us packing up and leaving?" Dean looked around the table like he just had the most brilliant idea yet.

"Ugh no." The brothers said in unison.

Gabe looked at Cas when he heard him answer no as quickly as he had, and grabbed a stray noodle off his plate and promptly whipped it at Cas's face. The noodle stuck to Cas's cheek, which sent both Dean and Gabe into a fit of laughter.

"I hate you." Cas grumbled as he removed the noodle and threw it down on his own empty plate. He wiped at the sauce left behind on his face.

"Best I can do for you guys is run defense." Gabe told them once his laughter had died down.

Cas nodded. They had played this game more than a few times in their lives. One or the other always seemed to need help reigning in their mother.

"This may be a bad time, but Karen was asking me about mom earlier today. She doesn't sound especially fond of her. I guess someone went crying to auntie about our mean mother." Gabe said as he looked at Dean.

"I didn't cry." Dean said stubbornly.

Gabe and Cas sat and stared at him.

"What?! She was really mean." Dean said quietly as he stood up and started gathering their plates.

"My point is, our mom probably isn't going to be the only one we need to watch." Gabe said. He finally had his game face on. That was good, they were getting somewhere. "When are you going to call? Maybe mom will nix the whole thing."

"It's getting late now." Cas said as he looked at his watch. It was only six he was shocked to discover. Gabe had drawn the curtains in the apartment so he thought it was a lot later than it really was.

Gabe turned his head to the clock on the wall and also registered the time. He looked back at his brother and gave him a look.

"Well, she's old, its probably like eleven for her and dad." Cas attempted.

"You know that's crap." Gabe said. "Call her now, bite the bullet broski."

Cas pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it for a long time. He flipped it over in his hand, switched the hand he was holding it in, and turned the screen on and off a few times.

"I meant today." Gabe said as he watched Cas.

Cas sighed and opened his contacts. He pushed the icon that said "Mom" and the phone started to ring.

Gabe and Dean sat deadly still watching Cas listen to the phone ring. When Cas suddenly shut his eyes tightly they knew Gale had picked up on her end.

"Hi Mom. No, nothing's wrong. What? No really everything is fine. I do not only call when … mom everything is fine. How are you?"

Cas looked between Dean and Gabe and rolled his eyes.

"That's good. He's been up? That's wonderful."

Cas paused and listened to his mother for a little while.

"I was calling to ask, if, you know Friday? Yeah, the day of the week." Cas pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, I know you know the days of the week, just listen to me. Gabe is leaving on Saturday and Deans aunt Karen was hoping we could all join them for dinner over at their place. Yes, you guys too."

Cas held his breath as he listened.

"Lovely. Yeah, that's what we were thinking." Cas looked between the other two with dread in his eyes.

"Ok, yes, I will let her know and get back to you with the details. Love you too. Bye."

Cas hung up the phone.

"Our lives are over." Cas said as he looked straight into Deans eyes.

"Nah babe, it wont be that bad. She said it sounded lovely." Dean said halfheartedly.

"Lovely." Gabe scoffed.

Cas turned towards his brother, the dread still clear on his face.

"Gabe, they live at a salvage yard."

"Hey!" Dean said, sounding insulted.

"No, its not…" Cas said to Dean before turning back to Gabe. "There's so much dirt there."

"At least she usually wears sensible shoes?" Gabe said, trying to ease Cas's worry.

"I think we made it worse. Now its definitely happening." Dean said as he cradled his head in his hands. "Gabe, you suck at this."

"Sorry Deano, you gave me bad cards to play with."

Dean nodded his agreement. "I'll talk to Karen when I get in to work tomorrow."

Gabe could see how worried Dean and Cas were about the whole thing and tried to lift their spirits. "It really wont be that bad probably. Between the three of us we've got this. Right?!"

Silence.

"I said RIGHT GUYS?!" Gabe tried more enthusiastically.

"Right." Dean said and looked to Cas.

"Right." Cas said and forced a smile at Dean and Gabe.

"You guys wanna hang around and finish my movie with me?" Gabe asked.

"I don't think so. Watching an almost grown man cry wouldn't add anything to my evening." Dean said.

Cas snorted a laugh and Gabe balked at the insult.

"Your loss." Gabe muttered as he stood up and removed his pants.

"Gabe? What the hell?" Dean groaned.

"I'm going back to my cozy blanket wrap and movie." Gabe said, lifting his nose in the air stubbornly. He whirled around on his heels and made his way back to his blanket. Dean covered his eyes when the site of Gabe's exaggerated walk in his ridiculous heart covered boxers was too much to bare.

"I think we are being kicked out of my house." Dean said in awe.

"I'm not kicking you out. I'm making it too uncomfortable to stay. There's a difference."

Cas was in the kitchen finishing packing up the leftovers from dinner and put them in Deans fridge. Dean was secretly pleased that Cas was leaving him and Gabe the leftovers. His pasta really was amazing, salty chicken and all.

"Should we go upstairs and watch our own movie?" Dean asked.

"Anything but Pulp Fiction please." Cas said tiredly as he walked straight into Dean and rested his forehead on his shoulder.

"Ok. Night Gabe." Dean called out as he wrapped his arm around Cas's waist and lead him to the door. "Thanks for your help, I guess."

"Anytime!" Gabe called back through a mouth full of candy. "Night."


End file.
